His Leonine Princess
by WinterWillows
Summary: Set in the notorious 8th Year at Hogwarts, post-war, our Hermione is sharing rooms with the Silver Trio (Draco, Theo and Blaise). Rated MA for content, language and smut. Loosely canon until the end of DH, the major exception being that Snape survived Nagini's attack. Mild daddy-dom kink. EWE. HEA.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary**

Set in the notorious 8th Year at Hogwarts, post-war, our Hermione is sharing rooms with the Silver Trio (Draco, Theo and Blaise). Rated M for content, language and smut. Loosely canon until the end of DH, the major exception being that Snape survived Nagini's attack. Mild daddy-dom kink. EWE. HEA.

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing Harry Potter related. Everything apart from my twisted little plot belongs to the Supreme Queen of the Universe, JK Rowling.

 **Prologue**

Hermione sat in the kitchen of The Burrow and reread the note that Professor McGonagall had enclosed with the book list from Hogwarts.

 _Dear Hermione,_

 _I know that we spoke last week at Harry's birthday party about your returning to school and I have considered your request with the headmaster. While I quite understand your reasons for wishing solitary living quarters this year it will not be possible. I can however, place you in small quarters with only three other students. You would have your own bedroom and share a bathroom with one other; a common room and kitchen would be shared by all four of you._

 _As there are only four of you planning to return from your year it is the headmaster's preference that you be housed together, but you also have the option of staying in Gryffindor Tower in a shared dormitory._

 _Please let me know your decision by return owl._

 _Best wishes,_

 _Minerva._

She quickly penned a reply to say that she would prefer to stay in the smaller quarters with students her own age and sent it back with the school owl, thinking no more about it. Certainly she never stopped to wonder why the deputy headmistress had neglected to name the other three returning students.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter One**

Hermione levitated her trunk before her as she slipped quietly along the corridor towards the portrait of Rowena Ravenclaw. Not wishing to be surrounded by people keen to question her on the war she had chosen to apparate to Hogwarts rather than take the train. Everyone was in the Great Hall for the welcome feast and she had no intention of joining them, crowds were a problem for her these days. No, her plan was to have a look around her new quarters then a long soak in the bath before going to bed with a good book. She couldn't remember the last time she had had any privacy, after almost a year of sharing a tent with the boys followed by a summer bunking in with Ginny at The Burrow she was more than ready to sleep in a proper bed of her own with no one else nearby. Bliss.

'Good evening dear, password?' The elegant Ravenclaw greeted her.

' _Novis initiis_ ,' Hermione replied with a smile. 'New beginnings' seemed rather apt, McGonagall had chosen well she thought.

She ushered the trunk in ahead of her then stepped through into her new common room. A moment later the trunk fell to the stone floor with a loud thump and three young men turned to stare at her. Hermione stood like the proverbial deer caught in headlights, her quick mind momentarily deserting her.

Theodore Nott broke the silence. 'Hello Granger, skiving the feast too?' She nodded dumbly.

'Cat got your tongue, Granger?' Malfoy drawled, looking amused.

'So rude,' Blaise Zabini tutted at his friends then moved towards Hermione, hand outstretched. 'Good evening _bella signora_ ,' he said courteously. She automatically took his hand but was shaken out of her daze when he raised it to his lips and swept them across her knuckles.

'I'm going to fucking murder Snape. He'll wish he'd died from the snakebite when I'm through with him,' she muttered, snatching her hand back and turning to leave in a flurry of curls.

'Woah, woah, slow down there Granger,' this from Theo. 'No one told you who you'd be sharing with?' He asked, looking quickly between Malfoy and Zabini.

'No, it must have slipped McGonagall's mind when she wrote to me,' she ground out. 'She said that only four of us were returning from our year and that Snape wanted us housed together. Why can't you three go to the Slytherin dungeons?' What had McGonagall been thinking of, suggesting this? What was Snape thinking of, for that matter? She started swearing long and hard under her breath.

'Impressive, Granger. Now come and sit by the fire, it's our first night tradition to share a drink,' Malfoy said. Zabini took hold of her hand again and walked her over to the armchairs while Nott poured her what must have been at least a triple measure of firewhisky. Hermione removed her jacket and shoes, curled her legs up underneath her in the comfy seat and taking the glass with a nod of thanks she swallowed the contents in one go and held it out for a refill.

'Well, you're just full of surprises tonight, Princess,' Malfoy murmured, looking mildly impressed. Hermione sent him a withering glare.

'If I'm seriously expected to live with three snakes for a year you're going to be seeing a lot more of this. It's lucky that you can afford to keep me in firewhisky,' she spat. Instead of the snarky response she expected, Malfoy laughed and the others joined him.

'Not a problem, Princess. At least you didn't ask me to keep you in books, my Gringotts vaults might have taken a serious hit then,' he grinned. Her glare lessened a little, he actually looked quite pleasant when he did that.

'Don't call me princess,' she snapped.

'Why not? Everyone in wizarding Britain is calling you Gryffindor's Princess, one third of the Golden Trio, saviour of the world and best friend of Harry Potter,' he mocked. Malfoy tilted his head to the side and regarded Hermione as she grimaced at his words. She was thin, but not as gaunt as she had been the day of the battle or the day she had been tortured in his home. Lilac shadows under her eyes showed a lack of sleep and he wondered if she had nightmares like he did.

Nott broke his concentration, 'Granger, I mean Hermione, I'd really like to make the best of this and get through my last year here, maybe even enjoy it a bit if that's possible. To answer your question, we can't stay in the Slytherin dungeons due to lack of space, that's the official reason anyway. I suspect it has more to do with protecting the younger ones from our 'evil influence' or some such. Whatever, I want to do well in my NEWTS and everyone knows you're the top student. I was hoping you might be my study partner for Arithmancy? It's always been my trickiest subject,' he gave her a small smile and looked slightly embarrassed at the admission.

Hermione forgot her surreal living situation for a moment and nodded enthusiastically, 'yes of course, Theodore, I'd be happy to. It's such an interesting subject and Professor Vector really makes it come alive, don't you think?'

Malfoy rolled his eyes and Zabini hid his smirk behind his hand. 'Before you two start boring the pants off me I'd like to offer my own hopes for a peaceful year, _dolcezza_. We barely know each other and I'd like to change that. It's going to be unpleasant if we're not on speaking terms and honestly, I've never had a female friend before. Would you please do me the honour of accepting my friendship?' Blaise moved to kneel in front of her as he said these last words, ignoring the scoffing and eye rolling of his fellow Slytherins. Hermione raised her eyebrow at him. Talk about going on a charm offensive!

'Fine, I can be friendly,' she sighed in resignation then blushed at the expression on Zabini's face. 'Friendly as in civil, nothing else!' She hastily qualified as Malfoy coughed on his firewhisky and Theo sniggered in the corner. Blaise took the opportunity to refill her glass in a placatory gesture.

'Well Granger, it's just me left to pledge my troth,' Malfoy murmured, leaning towards her. _This is going to be good_ , she thought sardonically. 'I'd prefer to speak with you privately, so for the moment I shall merely say that I would like us to have a fresh start. I have set aside my old prejudices, or to put it another way, I no longer believe the crap my parents told me. Purebloods, half-bloods, blood traitors, mudbloods – our blood looks the same whoever we are,' he paused and she knew he was remembering Bellatrix cutting her arm. 'Parentage has no bearing on magical ability, I see that now. It's a big ask Gr- Hermione, but can you give me another chance? I want to prove to you that I can be a semi-decent human being,' his tone was serious, his eyes sincere.

Hermione looked at him for a long moment. He had been horrid to her for six years at school, taken the Dark Mark, let Death Eaters into the school and generally been as unpleasant a person as possible. A lot of these things could be explained through his upbringing and the situation his family put themselves in with Voldemort, she could see that, and he had redeemed himself a little in her eyes when he chose not to identify Harry that horrid day at the Manor. She sighed inwardly, she was sick of the war, weary of fighting and worn down by grieving. She would give him a chance, she decided, one chance.

'Only semi-decent?' She asked teasingly.

'Just keeping it real, Princess,' he smirked then broke into a grin when she smiled and nodded.

'Here's to fresh starts,' she raised her glass.

'Being friendly,' added Blaise, winking.

'Fresh starts,' agreed Theo.

'Being semi-decent,' Malfoy smiled at her and they all drained their glasses.

'Excellent,' said Blaise, rubbing his hands together. 'Theo, pour another round. Let's have a game of 'I have never' to cement our new friendship,' he grinned wolfishly.

'Not a chance,' Hermione laughed. 'Do you really think I'm daft enough to play that with a roomful of snakes? I need to unpack and I could use an early night.' She made to get up but Malfoy put his hand on her arm to stop her.

'Come on Granger, live a little,' he said.

'I'm going to end up regretting this,' she groaned, completely missing the look exchanged by the three Slytherins.

 **A/N:** don't worry, I'm not abandoning The Girl with Pink Hair, I just had to get started on this story because it wasn't leaving me alone! Let me know what you think of it.


	3. Chapter 3

_Recap of Chapter Two_

' _Excellent,' said Blaise, rubbing his hands together. 'Theo, pour another round. Let's have a game of 'I have never' to cement our new friendship,' he grinned wolfishly._

' _Not a chance,' Hermione laughed. 'Do you really think I'm daft enough to play that with a roomful of snakes? I need to unpack and I could use an early night.' She made to get up but Malfoy put his hand on her arm to stop her._

' _Come on Granger, live a little,' he said._

' _I'm going to end up regretting this,' she groaned, completely missing the look exchanged by the three Slytherins._

 **A/N:** Wow. The response in terms of favourites, alerts and reviews has been much quicker for this story and I've only published two short chapters – you guys are amazing! (That or you all have similarly dirty minds to my own, heh). Shout-outs to reviewers Virginie Cires, GeekybyNature, pgoodrichboggs, LullabyTales, kimbclar, shaymars, Dul'mephistos, Shola2001 and my anonymous guest.

If you fancy chatting about the story then I have a Facebook page under WinterWillows where we can interact more. Please feel free to share theories / ideas on my stories, recs for other Dramione / Slytherins stories and so on.

Chapter Two – I have never…

Once everyone had a fresh glass of firewhisky Theo decided to start. He had a fair idea that his housemates were going to focus on sex with this game so he chose to ease Granger in with something relatively mild. 'I have never been skinny dipping in the Great Lake,' he said. The boys all took a drink and Hermione's eyes widened.

'Are you mad? Skinny dipping in Scotland?' She asked, giggling a little. She was feeling nicely merry with the amount of alcohol already in her system.

'It was a dare,' shrugged Zabini, as if it explained everything, which for the Slytherins it probably did.

'I have never been kissed,' offered Malfoy and everyone took a drink. Theo narrowed his eyes, he knew fine well that Malfoy was lulling her into a false sense of security before they went to the next level. Everyone took a drink and Blaise turned to Hermione expectantly.

'Well, _dolcezza_? Do we get to hear the salacious details?' He quizzed, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

'Nothing very juicy I'm afraid,' she laughed. 'Victor gave me a chaste kiss at the Yule Ball and I may have accidentallysnoggedRonintheChamberofSecretsduringthebattle,' she mumbled.

'Sorry Princess, I didn't quite catch that. Say again?' Smirked Malfoy. She scowled, they both knew he'd heard her perfectly.

'I kissed Ron in the heat of the moment during the final battle. It was a mistake,' she sighed.

'You were in the Chamber of Secrets?' Asked Blaise, looking astounded.

'Yes, to get basilisk fangs so I could destroy a horcrux,' she explained. Seeing their stunned faces she added, 'it's a long story, now's not the time.' The last thing she felt like talking about was the war. Malfoy knew that feeling and deflected attention by asking about Ron.

'So you finally realised it was time to stop mooning over the Weasel?' He gave a teasing smile to show there was no malice intended.

'Something like that. I still like him, but because of one kiss he's spent the summer pushing for more and I'm not ready for that yet,' she blushed, wanting to change the subject. She was not about to start discussing her personal life with the snakes. 'Moving on,' she continued, 'I have never caught a member of staff _in flagrante_.' She was the only one to take a drink. She followed it by making a zipping motion with her thumb and index finger across her mouth. 'I'm taking it to the grave, trust me, you don't want to know who it was and what they were doing,' she shuddered at the memory of Filch pleasuring Umbridge in the DADA classroom. _Urgh_. There wasn't enough firewhisky in the world to bleach that picture out of her mind!

Blaise looked intrigued but didn't pursue it, deciding to get straight to the point instead. 'I have never had sex,' the snakes all drank and Hermione rolled her eyes. She'd guessed this was coming as soon as he had suggested playing the game. She wasn't particularly embarrassed, it was fairly obvious that they were all more experienced than her. Most people were.

'I have never had an orgasm,' Theo stated and again they all drank except her. Malfoy quirked a brow and immediately said, 'I have never masturbated.' The Slytherins took a drink and Blaise choked on his when he saw Hermione's glass remain still. Her cheeks were now aflame and she was getting angry. They were just doing this to humiliate her! 'Really Princess, you've never wanted to explore yourself? No wonder you're so uptight half the time,' he drawled.

Shooting daggers at Malfoy she snapped, 'I have never duelled a Death Eater!' _That'll shut him up._ To her astonishment he drank with her. Her jaw dropped and one word bounced through her head: _**who**_?

'The subject is off limits,' he said before she could ask, his voice clipped and his face closed. 'Your turn Blaise,' he added, making it clear that he wouldn't be drawn further.

'I have never had a sexual fantasy about a professor,' Blaise said. They all turned to Theo in surprise as he lifted his glass. 'Seriously, Nott? Which one?' Blaise quizzed.

Theo looked uneasy. 'Hooch,' he admitted sheepishly. Malfoy gave a bark of laughter. 'What? She's actually pretty sexy you know, especially when she blows that whistle and-' he was interrupted by Blaise. 'Enough, I don't want to hear any more!'

Theo grinned maliciously, 'I have never fantasised about someone in this room', and holding Zabini's gaze for a moment he then turned to look at Malfoy. Theo himself had no problem confessing that he'd thought about Granger that way, but he knew it would kill his friends to admit it. To his surprise she took a sip of her drink, avoiding looking at any of them.

Malfoy turned to look at her as he put his glass back down. _Unexpected and interesting._ He wondered which one of them she had thought about. It had taken an effort for him to raise his glass to his lips but he hadn't been surprised when Zabini and Nott did. He suspected quite a few of the male population of Hogwarts harboured impure thoughts of the virginal bookworm and being the first to deflower her.

'Well I think I'll turn in,' Hermione said quietly and made to get up. Before she could stir Blaise had moved to her chair and lifted her into his lap. Flashing a warning look at Malfoy he held her gently and said apologetically, 'I'm sorry Hermione, we didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. There's no need to scamper off like a scared little mouse.' She huffed but to his surprise she settled into his chest. It felt good to be held. She wasn't exactly starved of affection, most of the Weasley's were huggers (although she now tried to avoid physical contact with Ron, he couldn't give a simple hug anymore without trying to snog and / or grope her). But there was something about being cuddled into someone's lap, she closed her eyes and tried to work out what it was.

The three men raised their eyebrows at each other, they hadn't expected this reaction and Malfoy wondered if Blaise had been the one Granger fantasised about. The thought was somehow displeasing. She didn't seem to be wriggling or flirting however, in contrast to someone like Parkinson, who would have leapt at the opportunity and been all over him.

After a few moments Hermione realised what it was that felt so comforting – the last time she had experienced this kind of affection had been when she was much younger and her dad had sat her on his knee to read stories to her. She missed that childhood innocence and the days when she would listen to stories of Paddington Bear or Winnie the Pooh, so much had happened since then. She'd seen things that no one her age should have seen, she'd fought in a war and won but she hadn't emerged unscathed. None of them had.

'Hey Princess, it's okay,' she looked up just as Malfoy wiped a treacherous tear from her cheek, his voice soft and his eyes concerned. Blaise tightened his hold on her.

'What's wrong, _dolcezza_? Did the game upset you that much? You have nothing to be ashamed of you know, just because we're all man whores. In fact your innocence is rather endearing.' Hermione could hear the smile in his voice and gave a quiet sniffle.

'I'm not upset, really. This will sound pathetic but the last time I was held like this was when I was little and my dad used to read to me. I miss him and my mum. I miss that feeling of being looked after,' she stopped abruptly, suddenly aware that she had said too much, given too much away. Her swift movement took Blaise by surprise and she was able to stand up without him stopping her. Practically running to the staircase she tossed a hurried goodnight over her shoulder and ran for the sanctuary of her room before she could embarrass herself any further.

Malfoy felt something flip in his stomach and judging by his friends' faces he wasn't the only one. Silently Blaise poured another round of drinks and they began to speak in low tones.


	4. Chapter 4

_Recap of Chapter Three_

' _I'm not upset, really. This will sound pathetic but the last time I was held like this was when I was little and my dad used to read to me. I miss him and my mum. I miss that feeling of being looked after,' she stopped abruptly, suddenly aware that she had said too much, given too much away. Her swift movement took Blaise by surprise and she was able to stand up without him stopping her. Practically running to the staircase she tossed a hurried goodnight over her shoulder and ran for the sanctuary of her room before she could embarrass herself any further._

 _Malfoy felt something flip in his stomach and judging by his friends' faces he wasn't the only one. Silently Blaise poured another round of drinks and they began to speak in low tones._

 **A/N:** Wow. The response in terms of favourites, alerts and reviews has been much quicker for this story and I've only published two short chapters – you guys are amazing! (That or you all have similarly dirty minds to my own, heh). Shout-outs to repeat reviewers riaroo400 (*mwah*), roon0, Dutchess of the Depraved (bless you love!), kimbclar, LullabyTales, Virginie Cires, GeekybyNature, pgoodrichboggs and new reviewers BadWolfJiggy (thank you so much!), Nichole87, Rissa 1986, , and bL00D pRINC3SS.

Warning – this chapter contains some Ron-bashing, please don't hate me! *Ducks behind sofa for safety*

* * *

 **Chapter 4 - Betrayal**

The next morning Hermione awoke to the rich smell of fresh coffee and after a quick trip to the bathroom she decided to investigate. She paused long enough to stick her hair in a messy bun and pull on some knickers; Ron's old quidditch jumper was big on her and came down to mid-thigh but decency demanded the addition of underwear in company. Since being on the run with Harry and Ron she had become a lot more comfortable with being seen in nightclothes so she didn't think twice before going downstairs to the kitchen.

She was greeted by the sight of three Slytherins lounging around the kitchen in various states of undress. Blaise and Theo wore pyjama bottoms and nothing else, while Draco had added an unbuttoned shirt to his sleepwear. Hermione shut her gaping mouth quickly and searched for something to distract her from their muscular chests (seriously, did they discover muggle gyms over the summer or something?). Her eyes lit upon a suitable target.

'Oh my, that is a thing of beauty,' she breathed. Much to Draco's chagrin she walked past him to admire the sleek and shiny chrome coffee machine adorning the worktop. Blaise couldn't help but laugh at his friend's annoyed face.

'I can't travel anywhere without it _dolcezza_ , an Italian needs their coffee. I've charmed it to work inside Hogwarts. Can I get you some?' He smiled, amused by her reaction.

'Yes please,' Hermione accepted happily and took a seat at the kitchen table.

'How do you plan on spending your Saturday, Hermione?' Theo asked. Really, the way her name rolled off his tongue was most pleasing she decided.

'I thought I might visit the library and reassure myself that it hasn't changed. I don't know if it sustained any damage in the battle,' she offered. Draco rolled his eyes behind her back.

Theo frowned a little, 'not that I know of, but I might take a wander along with you if that's alright, I'd like to see for myself,' he remarked.

'Yes of course Theodore,' Hermione smiled at him.

'It's Theo, please, or Teddy if you really must,' he grimaced. 'Theo it is then,' she acquiesced.

'One hazelnut coffee for the _bella signora_ ,' Blaise placed a steaming mug in front of her and she added a dash of milk then sipped it gratefully, giving a small moan of pleasure as she did so.

'Mmmmmm, that's delicious Blaise, thank you,' she murmured appreciatively, not noticing the look on all three of their faces. 'How about you guys, what are you up to today?' Hermione politely enquired. Draco was about to answer when there was a tap at the window and he reached over to let an owl in. It flew straight to Theo and dropped a copy of _The Daily Prophet_ from its talons.

'You still get that vulgar rag?' Draco looked at his friend in disbelief.

'Annual subscription,' Theo replied. 'I didn't see any reason to cancel it. It may be half-filled with rubbish but I like to know what's being said in the outside world.' He unfolded the paper and stilled. Hermione was still sipping her coffee in a state of mild rapture but Blaise and Draco picked up on his body language immediately and moved to stand beside him and read the front page. Several moments later Draco raised his head to Hermione.

'Princess, I think you need to see this,' and he slid the paper across the table. On the front page was a picture of Ron and an unknown blonde woman standing outside a nightclub. They were kissing and his hand was groping her behind. The headline read 'Golden Couple Split!' Hermione slowly read the paragraph below.

" _It appears that Golden Couple Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley have split up, if this photograph is anything to go by. The youngest Weasley son was seen out on the date with the mystery woman last night – he wined and dined her in Diagon Alley's prestigious new restaurant 'The Witchery', before taking her dancing at the newly opened 'Club Cosmos'. This reporter was able to gain an exclusive interview with the handsome redhead. On being asked about the status of his relationship with Hermione Granger he gave the following statement: "Hermione's a lovely girl, but she's just that, a girl. I'm looking for maturity in a girlfriend, you know? I want a REAL relationship with a REAL woman who gives more than just a peck on the cheek if you know what I mean, just like Tracy here."_

 _At this point the brand new couple disapparated, no doubt to enjoy some mature pleasures! We are sure to be seeing more of this sexy pair and you can trust The Daily Prophet to bring you the latest celebrity news as it happens._

 _Check out our special profile feature on Ronald Weasley on pages 4-5. For more information on the post-war regeneration of Diagon Alley see pages 6-8."_

The air felt charged and Draco turned to see the fireplace roar into life. 'Princess, are you alright?' He immediately cursed himself, what a fucking stupid question, of course she wasn't alright. Blaise shook his head at Draco's idiocy. Theo started to reach out to Hermione but she stood and began walking to the fire. Crossing her arms in front of her she reached down to pull the hem of her jumper up and lifted it over her head before tossing it on the flames, she then sat down in front of the fire to watch it burn. Anger and hurt rolled off her in waves.

The men were stunned by the rear view of the virtually naked bookworm. Hermione wore nothing but a pair of pale pink lace hipsters and none of them could take their eyes off her flawless pale skin. Draco was the first to move. Shrugging his shirt off he went to crouch behind her and put it on her as he would a child, doing his best not to ogle her as he did. Rather than do up the buttons and risk touching something he shouldn't, he simply wrapped it around her tightly. Moving to sit behind her he put his legs on either side of her, pulled her back against his bare chest and held her close. Neither spoke as they watched Ron's top burn.


	5. Chapter 5

_Recap of Chapter Four_

 _The men were stunned by the rear view of the virtually naked bookworm. Hermione wore nothing but a pair of pale pink lace hipsters and none of them could take their eyes off her flawless pale skin. Draco was the first to move. Shrugging his shirt off he went to crouch behind her and put it on her as he would a child, doing his best not to ogle her as he did. Rather than do up the buttons and risk touching something he shouldn't, he simply wrapped it around her tightly. Moving to sit behind her he put his legs on either side of her, pulled her back against his bare chest and held her close. Neither spoke as they watched Ron's top burn._

 **A/N:** Wow. Shout-outs to repeat reviewers BadWolfJiggy, , riaroo400, Rissa1986, Nichole87, Dutchess of the Depraved, kimbclar, LullabyTales, Virginie Cires, GeekybyNature, pgoodrichboggs, Green Eyed Lana Lee, bL00D pRINC3SS, Dul'mephistos and new reviewers, BritishTonyDinozzo, Snowflake Dazzle, sailorgemini and my anonymous guests.

Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback my lovelies, I really do appreciate it xx

* * *

 **Chapter Five**

After a while Blaise and Theo joined them by the fire. Blaise stood in front of Hermione and pulled her up to him while Theo stepped behind her, holding the shirt in place and protecting her modesty while using it as an excuse to hold her firmly against his chest.

'The Weasel has no class. He's a wanker and doesn't deserve you _dolcezza_ , he never has,' Blaise said softly. Hermione sniffled in reply. Gracefully unfolding himself Draco came to stand beside the trio.

'We're taking you out for lunch, princess. Before you say anything about rules, Snape has granted us special permission as returning 8th years to visit Hogsmeade any weekend we like,' he said firmly.

'Actually I feel rather tired, I might go back to bed,' Hermione said, looking at the floor. Draco shook his head.

'Not an option,' replied Blaise. 'If we have to drag you out we will, but I'm sure you'd prefer no one else saw that,' he smirked.

'I heard that Flourish & Blotts have opened a branch in the village, we could take a look,' cajoled Theo. He frowned as she tensed in his arms and looked questioningly at his friends.

'Come on Granger, that's got to be your idea of heaven, surely?' Draco asked her, puzzled by the blush and unhappy expression on her face.

'No thanks, I'll go to lunch if you really force me to but I'm not going to the bookshop,' she muttered.

Theo took charge of the situation. 'Right, let's go pick out your clothes,' and he steered her towards the stairs, completely ignoring her protests that she was more than capable of choosing her own clothes thank you very much.

'Seriously princess? I've seen your casual wear and it could use some work,' scoffed Draco, grinning at her. Hermione opted to rise above this and didn't dignify it with a response.

As soon as he closed the door behind them Theo spun her round to face him. 'Out with it love, what's upset you about visiting a bookshop?' He took hold of her chin and pulled her face up so that he could meet her eyes. He nearly gasped at the sadness he saw there. 'Hermione? Tell me what's wrong, please,' he urged, feeling worried. He lifted her up and carried her to the bed, setting her down and sitting behind her just as Draco had minutes before; he had an inkling that she might find it easier to talk to him if he wasn't looking directly at her.

Hermione tried to find the right words but ultimately she was too embarrassed to speak. What did the three Slytherins know of being poor? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. They were all incredibly wealthy and would think nothing of buying however many books they wanted, or clothes or even the latest model of broomstick. She sighed. Theo racked his brains to come up with a reason why the little bookworm would turn down a trip to a new bookshop.

'Hermione,' he began tentatively, 'is it money?' At that she gave a sob and twisted round to bury her face in his chest. Never would she have imagined herself to be this physically close to Theodore Nott, but here she was, her tears running down his bare chest as she cried for her parents and her ruined friendship with Ron. Theo had never comforted a crying girl (or boy, for that matter) in his life, but instinctively her held her tighter with one arm and used his free hand to stroke her hair. Eventually Hermione's tears stopped and she began to tell him how things had gone so wrong for her.

'Last year, before things got really bad with Voldemort,' Theo winced at her casual use of the name, 'I knew I had to do something to protect my parents. They were a prime target for Death Eaters,' she whispered, her voice broken. 'I _obliviated_ myself from their memories so that they would never know they had a daughter. I gave them new identities and planted a desire to move to Australia in their minds. It worked. They sold our home and used the money to fund their emigration.'

'Oh little mouse, I understand now what you meant last night when you talked about missing them. I thought you just meant while you were at Hogwarts,' Theo's heart ached for her and he was scared to ask the next question. 'The spell can't be reversed?'

'No, it was too strong. I knew before I did it that it would be irreversible, wiping a whole person from 18 years of memories takes a lot of magic. Any attempt to change it back would irreparably damage their minds,' she said dully.

'How bad are things financially?' Theo dared to ask. He didn't want to set off another bout of tears but he and his fellow Slytherins had to know.

'McGonagall paid for my school books,' Hermione admitted after a long pause. Theo swore under his breath.

'What about new robes and clothes? Potions supplies, quills and such? Basic toiletries?' He fought to keep his voice calm.

'Ginny shared some of her things with me,' she tried to wriggle away as a wave of mortification washed over her. She desperately wanted Theo to leave so that she could hide under her covers and shut the world out.

'What about Potter? I thought he was well off?' He asked, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

'I'm not asking Harry! He has more than enough to deal with, he's still recovering from the war as well as trying to keep on top of his auror training. The last thing on his mind is noticing whether I need new jeans or not! I made Ginny promise not to say anything to him,' Hermione protested, defending him. Theo fumed silently at Potter's complete lack of awareness regarding the woman who was his best friend.

'We're going shopping, little mouse. Don't bother arguing with me because you don't have a say in this. If it makes you feel any better, I could buy every single book in Flourish & Blotts and it wouldn't make a dent in my vaults,' he said crisply. 'Now, let's see what's in your wardrobe,' and with a last squeeze and a quick kiss on the top of her head he shuffled off the bed to begin rummaging.


	6. Chapter 6

_Recap of Chapter Five_

' _We're going shopping, little mouse. Don't bother arguing with me because you don't have a say in this. If it makes you feel any better, I could buy every single book in Flourish & Blotts and it wouldn't make a dent in my vaults,' he said crisply. 'Now, let's see what's in your wardrobe,' and with a last squeeze and a quick kiss on the top of her head he shuffled off the bed to begin rummaging._

 **A/N:** Wow. Shout-outs to repeat reviewers Lena2244 (I love you!), , riaroo400, Rissa1986, Nichole87, roon0, kimbclar, Snowflake Dazzle, LullabyTales, Virginie Cires, GeekybyNature, pgoodrichboggs, BritishTonyDinozzo, Dul'mephistos and new reviewers, Antjex3 and CieloDistante (thank you so much for your lovely long review!). Thanks so much for taking the time to leave feedback my lovelies, I really do appreciate it.

So, the main question that I'm being asked is who will Hermione end up with – the answer is….. I'm not telling you! Mwahahahahahahaha.

* * *

 **Chapter Six**

Theo left Hermione to get dressed and went downstairs to report back to his friends. As expected, their reactions were similar to his own, but with more swearing (Draco) and interest in buying her a new wardrobe (Blaise).

'It's the perfect opportunity to give her what she needs and I'm not talking materially,' Blaise remarked with a wolfish grin.

'I'm going to try something while we're out, I'll tell you her reaction later, that's if it's not obvious at the time,' Theo said mysteriously, refusing to be drawn on the details.

Blaise glanced down at Draco's Dark Mark. 'Turns out that wearing a shirt didn't hide it from her after all,' he said quietly.

'No,' Draco replied ruefully. 'It's not like she didn't know it was there, but I had been hoping to keep it covered. Still, it can't be helped,' and left to get ready for the day. The remaining snakes looked at each other, they hadn't missed the sadness in his eyes. When he got to his room he could hear the shower running in the bathroom he shared with Hermione. It was strange how his feelings about her had changed, he mused. The first seed sown had been that day in third year when she slapped him; no one had ever dared to treat him like that before. The second seed didn't come until much, much later, on the day he had watched her being tortured by his fucking deranged aunt. Then there was the day of the battle, when she looked like some kind of avenging angel – bruised and bloody, burning with righteous fire in her soul. And then there was last night, when she walked into their common room, somehow looking more fragile than she had done lying on the floor of his home. Fragile yet strong. He wanted to take care of her and protect her, they all did. They all _wanted_ her, full stop. He tried not to think about her soaping herself in the shower and failed miserably.

* * *

An hour later Hermione was getting tetchy. She was fed up of trying on new clothes and being dressed up like a doll for the Slytherins amusement. Her initial gratitude at their kindness in buying her new things was waning. Fast.

'I don't need an evening gown,' she protested. 'When would I wear it?'

'At a ball,' Draco said dryly. She glared at him.

'The last time there was a ball was in fourth year, I highly doubt there will be one this year,' she retorted.

'I hate to break it to you, little mouse, but after this year we're all going to be let loose on the outside world. There will, inevitably, be a formal occasion that you will be required to attend,' Theo smirked at her. Hermione muttered mutinously under her breath but the men paid her no heed, they were too busy entertaining thoughts of ravishing her. The dress she wore was floor-length bronze silk and sleeveless. It was backless, the fabric falling in elegant drapes on each side and pooling just above her backside. She looked glorious.

'The shoes, Granger, come on,' Draco motioned impatiently.

'I can't bloody walk in them!' Hermione protested. He rolled his eyes.

'Here, hold on to Theo while I put them on for you,' Blaise stepped in diplomatically. She pouted but acquiesced. Three male jaws proceeded to drop at the sight of Hermione Granger in the obscenely sexy evening dress complete with high heels. She strutted off to the changing room, desperate to get back into her jeans and jumper, even if they were too big on her since losing weight while being on the run (food had been in short supply then, and the boys always seemed in greater need than she). Draco, Theo and Blaise watched her back view with longing.

Blaise picked up a pair of indigo skinny jeans, a rose pink fitted Henley top and a pair of brown boots and took them to the counter. 'She's going to wear these out,' he told the sales assistant, who promptly removed the tags before returning them.

'Hang on a second,' Draco interrupted, 'she needs to get measured up for lingerie first.'

'Gods yes, how could I forget that?' Blaise was horrified at himself. The sales assistant laughed and took the clothes from him.

'I'll go and get her organised,' she offered. 'I take it you gentlemen will be choosing the items?' She had watched the men pick all of the girl's clothes while she looked a little overwhelmed, and was confident that underwear would be no exception. Draco nodded in response. A few minutes later the assistant emerged from the changing rooms, 'bra size 34D and a medium in knickers,' she reported. The snakes began their assault on the lingerie section.

Hermione came out wearing her new clothes and immediately flushed scarlet when she saw the piles of underwear being rung up at the till. 'What? I can… perfectly capable myself… I only need two…!' She spluttered incoherently.

'You're not at all capable of choosing yourself, I've seen your underwear drawer,' Theo drawled. 'We're going for sexy, not serviceable, and you need more than one black and one white bra,' he cut her off. Hermione opened and shut her mouth a few times, eyeing the rainbow colours now being packed into shopping bags. Was that a thong she saw?!

'Do I have a say in anything?' She said through gritted teeth, sorely tempted to stamp her foot; judging by Draco's smirk he knew it too.

'In a word, no, _dolcezza_ ,' Blaise grinned, taking her arm and steering her out of the shop while Draco paid and arranged for everything to be sent up to the castle.

Once outside Theo took her other arm and they strolled along the cobblestones in the direction of the bookshop. They stood outside the window for a moment.

'Would you mind stocking up on potions ingredients and whatnot?' Theo asked Blaise and Draco. He then turned to Hermione, 'since you've been such a good girl let's get you some treats in the bookshop,' he smiled down at her. The reaction was instant. She blushed, her breathing hitched and her eyes lit up, inside she felt her stomach do a somersault and her core clenched instinctively. She gave Theo a shy smile. He chuckled indulgently and took her hand to lead her into the shop. Looking back over his shoulder he winked at his friends, leaving them in no doubt that this was the 'something' he had planned on trying.

 **A/N:** I've posted a picture of Hermione's pink top on my Facebook page (search WinterWillows) to give you a visual. I'm still searching for a pic of her evening gown, I can't find one that's exactly right.


	7. Chapter 7

_Recap of Chapter Six_

' _Would you mind stocking up on potions ingredients and whatnot?' Theo asked Blaise and Draco. He then turned to Hermione, 'since you've been such a good girl let's get you some treats in the bookshop,' he smiled down at her. The reaction was instant. She blushed, her breathing hitched and her eyes lit up, inside she felt her stomach do a somersault and her core clenched instinctively. She gave Theo a shy smile. He chuckled indulgently and took her hand to lead her into the shop. Looking back over his shoulder he winked at his friends, leaving them in no doubt that this was the 'something' he had planned on trying._

 **A/N:** Wow. Shout-outs to repeat reviewers roon0, Nichole87, Green Eyed Lana Lee, Lena2244, Rissa1986, Dutchess of the Depraved (you naughty girl, just saying!), BadWolfJiggy, kimbclar, Snowflake Dazzle, Virginie Cires, pgoodrichboggs, BritishTonyDinozzo, Dul'mephistos and new reviewers, MahallieMacKenzie, love2dance1992, dramione1603, magic-jessi, SlythKris and my anonymous guest. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave feedback my lovelies, I really do appreciate it.

Gah! So the plan was to update The Girl with Pink Hair today, but these boys just won't leave me alone! I *had* to give into them. They made me. Honest guv. Now this chapter is where the Daddy Dom kink starts to really kick in. If for some reason you failed to notice that vital bit of information in the summary then take heed now - if this is likely to upset you then move on to another story.

One question that comes up a lot in your reviews is 'please could you make the chapters longer?' Unfortunately I seem to be incapable of writing more than 1200-1600 words in one sitting, but I hope that the frequent updates make up for this xx

* * *

 **Chapter Seven**

The quartet trooped back up to the castle mid-afternoon, having had a delicious lunch at the exclusive Avalon restaurant. Hermione still felt on a high from being called a 'good girl' and being lavishly treated by Theo in Flourish & Blotts. She didn't understand why these things gave her a sexual thrill, only that they did and she filed it away to ponder later in the privacy of her own room.

Ginny was waiting for them by Rowena Ravenclaw's portrait and leapt up to envelop Hermione in a crushing hug when she saw her approach.

'I hate him! He's an evil git and I sent him a howler to tell him so. Harry and everyone else is mad with him too. I'm so sorry Hermione!' Ginny all but sobbed. Hermione patted her back and soothed her.

'You don't need to apologise for him, Gin, you're not responsible for his behaviour,' she said gently. They entered the common room and Blaise headed for the coffee machine while Theo drew up another chair in front of the fire for Ginny. This prompted the younger girl to realise that they were surrounded by Slytherins.

'What? Are you living with these guys, Hermione?' She asked in shock.

'Yes and they've been nothing but kind to me,' Hermione said firmly. 'So far,' she whispered this last part in Ginny's ear.

'Hmph. Well just let me know if you need me to hex them,' she replied quietly.

'Weaslette,' Draco began but was stopped by a well-aimed sharp elbow to the ribs by Hermione.

'It's Ginny,' the redhead rolled her eyes at him.

'Right, er, Ginny then. This is to replace the things you were generous enough to lend Hermione,' Draco handed her a couple of bags from the heap that had been delivered by the house elves. She cautiously opened them to find fresh parchment, ink and some rather expensive Jobberknoll quills. The other contained luxury toiletries. Ginny looked startled but flushed with pleasure.

'Um, thanks Malfoy. You didn't need to do that, I was happy to share with Hermione,' she smiled at her friend who gave her a one-armed squeeze around the shoulders.

'We wanted to,' he said simply.

'Ladies, here's some coffee for you,' Blaise handed them a mug each.

'You're in for a treat, Gin. Blaise makes the best coffee ever,' Hermione grinned up at him, missing Ginny's raised eyebrow.

'Always at your service, _dolcezza_ ,' he gave a mock bow and the girls giggled.

'Can you hear that?' Theo cocked his head, listening. 'I think it's coming from your room, Hermione,' he turned and jogged upstairs to investigate. Outside her window was an owl, frantically tapping its beak against the pane. Theo let it in and untied the letter from its leg; the bird flew off in relief at having finally delivered the missive. Theo took it downstairs to Hermione.

'Thanks Theo,' she smiled at him then sighed when she recognised the handwriting.

'Harry,' she and Ginny said in unison. Hermione broke the seal and read his note, she was slightly disconcerted to realise that everyone was looking at her when she raised her head again. 'What? It says more or less what you said five minutes ago, Gin,' she looked sad. She honestly didn't want her two best friends – scratch that, her best friend and _his_ friend – to fall out.

'Glad to hear we're all on the same page,' Theo said approvingly.

Hermione didn't want to think or talk about Ron anymore, he was a prat, to put it politely. Or to put it another way, a heartless bastard who had no qualms about more or less labelling her as frigid in a national newspaper. She cast around for a change of subject before her eyes lit upon the masses of shopping bags. 'Hey Gin, do you want to see what clothes the boys got me this morning?' Ginny gave the snakes an odd look but jumped up nevertheless and helped Hermione carry everything upstairs to her room.

* * *

'Judging by the squeals the Weaslette approves,' smirked Draco.

'You know you're going to have to stop calling her that,' Blaise sighed.

'Yes, you need to make the effort for our little mouse,' agreed Theo.

'Fine, whatever' he grumbled. 'Ginny it is.'

Theo cast a _muffliato_ to give them privacy and began to speak. 'Did you see her reaction outside the bookshop?'

'Yeah, I expected nothing less from the bookworm. I bet you 50 galleons books make her wet,' Draco grinned wolfishly. Blaise rolled his eyes.

'I don't think that's what Theo was getting at. Remember how she was last night when I sat her on my knee?' Draco nodded, listening to his friend with interest. 'Well there's something going on with that and it's more than a craving for affection,' the Italian observed. 'Theo, can you explain it?'

'I think so. Calling her a good girl was an experiment, a bit of a shot in the dark but it seems to have hit home. We know that she misses her parents, right? I'd hazard a guess that she was a Daddy's Girl when she was younger and I think she needs that in her life now that she's a woman,' Theo expounded on his theory.

Draco frowned, 'wait, what? She sees us father figures? Given that we all want to fuck her six ways from Sunday isn't that kind of messed up?'

'No mate. She doesn't have sexual feelings towards her _dad_ , but I think she does towards men who take on that protective and caring role. Using the phrase good girl and offering to treat her as a result of her behaving well turned her on. Didn't you hear her gasp? Her pupils dilated and she blushed. I don't think she even recognises that she has this need to be treated like a little girl, like a princess really,' Theo ran his hand through his hair. 'What do you know about Dom/sub relationships?' He asked.

'Some. I've never been into having a slave as such, but I enjoy dominating,' Draco said cautiously and Blaise nodded in agreement.

'I see what you're getting at Theo, you're talking about a Daddy Dom,' Blaise said slowly. He swallowed hard as his palms broke out in a sweat.

'Exactly,' Theo inclined his head while trying to ignore the excitement fluttering in his abdomen.

'We've got a lot to talk about,' Draco spoke up. 'Meeting in your room tonight after she goes to bed?' Theo nodded in assent.


	8. Chapter 8

_Recap of Chapter Seven_

' _I see what you're getting at Theo, you're talking about a Daddy Dom,' Blaise said slowly. He swallowed hard as his palms broke out in a sweat._

' _Exactly,' Theo inclined his head while trying to ignore the excitement fluttering in his abdomen._

' _We've got a lot to talk about,' Draco spoke up. 'Meeting in your room tonight after she goes to bed?' Theo nodded in assent._

 **A/N:** Wow. Shout-outs to repeat reviewers slythkris, riaroo400, roon0 (lucky, definitely lucky!), Nichole87 (heh, welcome to the dark side!), Lena2244, Rissa1986, Dutchess of the Depraved (hell yes!), GeekybyNature, saillorgemini, Antjex3, kimbclar, Snowflake Dazzle (thanks for your supportive comments), Virginie Cires, pgoodrichboggs, BritishTonyDinozzo, and LullabyTales. Special shout-outs to new reviewers Cking39478, Carmyska, AriaSuoh21, RedSavvy, MGB84, imranramji1, colao, mooncrazy1992 and my anonymous guest. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave feedback my lovelies, I really do appreciate it.

Today's story / author recommendation is Gingersnaps by HufflepuffMommy. A story with Draco and biscuits, seriously, life doesn't get much better than this.

* * *

 **Chapter Eight**

Hermione sank into the steaming hot bath gratefully, she was shattered from shopping, a long chat with Ginny and sending owls to both Harry and Molly to reassure them that she was being looked after by friends and although she was deeply hurt, she would be okay. The smell of bluebells was soothing and the bath oil covered her skin in a soft sheen. It was heavenly.

Afterwards she happily put on her new tartan pyjamas, the flannelette was soft and cosy and reminded her of a pair she had gotten one Christmas when she was younger. There was a family tradition that one of Father Christmas's elves would deliver a parcel on Christmas Eve while Hermione was in the bath. Inside would be new pyjamas, marshmallows for her bedtime cocoa and a new book. Even after she was old enough to know it was really her parents the Grangers kept up the tradition. Those times would never come again and she blinked away tears at the realisation. With a loud sniff she turned and headed out of her room to make herself some cocoa.

'Hey Princess, you look utterly huggable in those,' Draco smirked. She rolled her eyes in response but submitted to his tight embrace nonetheless, awkwardly enjoying it. 'I'm almost glad you talked me out of the silk nightgowns I wanted you to have. Almost. Although my favourite has got to be you wearing my shirt,' he grinned into her hair and placed a kiss on top of the curls so gently that she wouldn't feel it.

'Yes, well, they weren't exactly practical for a stone castle that gets draughty in the winter,' Hermione mumbled into his chest, completely ignoring the shirt remark as she had no clue how to respond to it. 'Now let me go, I'm on a mission for cocoa,' she pulled away.

'Cocoa? What are you, 80?' He scoffed.

'It's a well-known bedtime drink, _whatever_ your age happens to be,' she replied with asperity. 'Plus Paddington Bear drinks it,' she mumbled under her breath. Blaise, who was fixing himself a decaf coffee, was close enough to hear her.

'A what bear?' He echoed in confusion. Hermione sighed.

'Paddington Bear. He's the main character in a series of muggle children's books, they were one of my favourites growing up,' she felt a bit silly telling the Slytherins and leaned over to let her hair cover her face as she warmed the milk. She missed the knowing look that passed between them.

Blaise moved to stand behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. 'Malfoy's right, you are utterly huggable in these,' he squeezed her lightly in approval, inhaling the scent of bluebells. She cleared her throat nervously.

'If you're quite done manhandling me, I'm off to bed. Goodnight,' and Hermione took her cocoa and her red cheeks back up to her room, leaving two smug men in her wake.

* * *

An hour later the snakes convened in Theo's room with a bottle of Dragon Barrel Brandy. Blaise recounted the cocoa incident to Theo, who had been showering at the time. He listened and ran his hands through his bronze hair.

'Okay, cards on the table. I know it goes against our Slytherin instincts but for Hermione's sake I think we need to be honest with each other about our intentions. I want her, pure and simple. She's clever, engaging and beautiful. She makes me feel like I want to look after her, protect her – I've never felt this way before about anyone,' Theo took a slug of brandy. _Shit, you've done it now, Nott, no taking it back. Gods, I hate sharing my feelings._

'That pretty much sums it up for me too,' admitted Blaise. They both turned to look at Draco.

'Yeah,' he nodded. 'Add in six years of insulting each other, sexual tension and not being able to save her from my evil bitch of an aunt and you've covered it. I won't back down from going after her and I will fight for her if she doesn't choose me,' Draco said seriously. His friends looked at him; he wasn't being aggressive but he wasn't kidding either.

'So where do we go from here?' Blaise asked.

'Damned if I know,' replied Theo.

* * *

Sunday morning brought the kind of steady, persistent rain that lasted all day but Hermione didn't mind one bit. She loved rainy Sundays, they were perfect for curling up in front of the fire with a good book. A trip to the library was definitely in order. She chose to dress before heading downstairs to avoid any more hugs, it wasn't that she didn't like them, just the opposite, she liked them too much and she was uncomfortable with that. Wearing jeans and a lightweight grey jumper she went in search of coffee.

Blaise was already at the coffee machine, half-naked like the day before. Hermione couldn't take her eyes off his back, the way his muscles moved under his hazelnut skin was mesmerising. At the sound of her footsteps he turned around and greeted her warmly. 'Good morning _dolcezza_ , how did you sleep?'

'Fine thank you, and you?' She took the proffered mug of coffee appreciatively and followed him over to the sofa. Blaise looked at the shadows under her eyes and wasn't fooled.

'Liar. You look tired,' he countered. Hermione scowled into her coffee, she really didn't want to talk about this. She had gone so far as to leave a reminder note on her bedside table to cast a _silencio_ before going to sleep; the last thing she wanted was for one of them to hear her having a nightmare. Unfortunately she was still haunted by memories of the day Ron left them, being chased by the Snatchers, and being tortured by Bellatrix. Perhaps Draco would be able to understand it because he had seen more than his fair share of horrors during the war, but Theo and Blaise hadn't really been involved it. She worried that she had already told the men too much about her, she didn't need to add her nightmares to the list.

'Is it your habit to wander around without a top on?' She parried.

'Really, _dolcezza_ , you're saying that with a straight face after yesterday?' He smirked as she turned bright red.

'That's different! It was a one-off. I only took the top off because I couldn't stand have anything related to Ronald Weasley touching me!'

Blaise moved closer and brushed his knuckles against her cheek briefly. 'I'm sorry, it was wrong of me to bring it up. Let's not think about that tosser. If you give me two minutes to throw some clothes on I'll escort you to breakfast, if you like? You're too thin, we need to feed you up a bit,' he teased.

'Tired looking and scrawny? Enough with the flattery, you're laying it on too thick,' Hermione said waspishly. Then she flicked his nipple, just because it was there and she could. He winced.

'The lion cub has claws,' he observed with raised brows. 'If you wanted to touch me all you had to do was ask. In fact, consider yourself allowed, I give you an open invitation to fondle me anytime you like,' he winked.

He made her nervous and so she fell back on her default coping mechanism. 'I'm going to the library,' and hastened out of the common room before Blaise had a chance to stop her.

 _Nice one, idiot. Now you've gone and frightened her off._ Blaise sipped his coffee and stared morosely at the unlit hearth.


	9. Chapter 9

_Recap of Chapter Eight_

' _Tired looking and scrawny? Enough with the flattery, you're laying it on too thick,' Hermione said waspishly. Then she flicked his nipple, just because it was there and she could. He winced._

' _The lion cub has claws,' he observed with raised brows. 'If you wanted to touch me all you had to do was ask. In fact, consider yourself allowed, I give you an open invitation to fondle me anytime you like,' he winked._

 _He made her nervous and so she fell back on her default coping mechanism. 'I'm going to the library,' and hastened out of the common room before Blaise had a chance to stop her._

 **Nice one, idiot. Now you've gone and frightened her off** _. Blaise sipped his coffee and stared morosely at the unlit hearth._

 **A/N:** Wow. Shout-outs to repeat reviewers xchloee (Heh, I knew I'd hook you!), riaroo400, Nichole87, Lena2244 (you may just be right…), Rissa1986, GeekybyNature (I know, I'd be top of the list!), kimbclar, Snowflake Dazzle, Virginie Cires, pgoodrichboggs, Green Eyed Lana Lee (I'm determined to win you over to the DD idea!), BadWolfJiggy, MGB84 and LullabyTales. Special shout-outs to new reviewers ZoeyOlivia (I gave you fair warning! Why not give the DD thing a bit longer and see if it grows on you?), loveyd4u, thelittleredgirl, Keke Koorime, mangoandpassionfruit and ceekatz. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave feedback my lovelies, I really do appreciate it.

So the plan for tonight was to update TGWPH but the boys wouldn't leave me alone! Blaise was smouldering at me, Draco was murmuring seductively in my ear and Theo offered me a back massage – what's a girl to do but give into them?

Today's story / author recommendation is _Yours_ by AmOrFoReVeRmOrE. Unfortunately it's on hiatus but it's sooooo good!

* * *

 **Chapter Nine**

Half an hour later Blaise entered the library carrying a wicker basket. Thankfully Madam Pince never showed her face before noon on Sundays or she might have guessed its contents and shooed him right back out. After about 10 minutes of searching he eventually spotted Hermione in a faraway corner tucked behind a pile of books.

'Hello _piccolo_ , I brought breakfast. Am I forgiven?' He tried for a winning smile.

'Technically you didn't really do anything wrong, I suppose,' she replied hesitantly.

'Yes I did and I'm sorry. I came on too strong and frightened you out of your own common room,' Blaise stated contritely. It was against his nature to apologise and it came out a little stilted but she appreciated the effort and nodded in acceptance. He grinned and sat down opposite her before beginning to unpack the picnic basket.

'What are you doing? You can't bring food into the library!' Hermione was horror-struck at his lack of respect for the rules. He rolled his eyes and moved the books to the other end of the table to protect them from any stray crumbs.

'That better?'

'Marginally,' she grumbled, but perked up moments later when she spotted _pain aux raisins_ and almond croissants and a flask of coffee. When she was halfway through a pastry Blaise dared to speak again.

'You're avoiding the Great Hall,' he said flatly. 'This is the second morning you've not gone down for breakfast, you skipped the Welcome Feast and last night you claimed you were still full from lunch and wouldn't come down with us for dinner. What's bothering you _dolcezza_?'

Hermione took a sip of coffee to give herself a moment to think. She opted for honesty. 'Two things. Firstly, I don't want to talk about the war and I know people will ask me about it. And the second thing is, well… I've spent so long with just Harry and Ron and then summer with only the Weasleys, I've gotten out of the way of being with a lot of people. I feel a bit scared of big groups and crowds now. The last time I was surrounded by a lot of people was the day of the battle. I couldn't face taking the Hogwarts Express on Friday so I apparated to Hogsmeade and walked up once I knew everyone would already be inside.' She had been directing her words at the pastry but when she finished she looked up at Blaise and saw compassion in his eyes.

He reached for her hand and held it in both of his, 'thank you for telling me that, I know it wasn't easy. We'll help you, we can all go down to lunch together and if you like you can sit with us – I doubt anyone will bother you with questions then.'

'A Gryffindor at the Slytherin table? Whatever next?!' Hermione gasped in mock dismay. 'If I had a string of pearls on I would be clutching it in consternation right about now,' she teased. Blaise laughed in return.

'Hey, Snape is all about bridging the gaps between houses this year; he's making all Slytherins take Muggle Studies so we'd be setting a good example,' he winked.

' _You_ are taking Muggle Studies?' Hermione couldn't contain a snigger at the mental image of Blaise learning about things like televisions and toasters. Draco and Theo too, oh this was going to be good she thought to herself, smirking.

'Yes. I've already embraced muggle clothing,' he replied indignantly. It was true, all three men had worn jeans yesterday and they looked incredible. Hermione was reminded of seeing Blaise in nothing buy flannel pyjama bottoms not long ago and blushed. It shouldn't be legal to look that sexy. She'd seen Harry and Ron in various states of undress over the last year and they definitely weren't in the same league.

'So you have,' she agreed. Blaise looked at her expectantly. 'It suits you,' she admitted, reluctant to massage his already healthy ego.

'I know,' he said smugly. Hermione stuck out her tongue in response, causing Blaise to bite his to prevent a suggestive comment escaping. The last thing he needed was to scare her off again. 'Okay, I'm going to leave you to your books now _piccolo_ , if you're not back in the common room by 1pm then I'm coming to find you to take you down to lunch,' he warned. He packed up the basket and quickly dropped a kiss on her forehead before leaving.

* * *

Draco and Theo were lounging in front of the fire when they heard the familiar sound of an owl hooting at the window. Theo leapt up and went to retrieve the parcel, which was addressed to him.

'What have you got there, anything interesting?' Draco asked, looking up from his copy of George Orwell's _1984_. During the summer he had visited Flourish & Blotts and steeled himself to speak to one of the booksellers about muggle literature. To his surprise they had a small section at the rear of the shop and he bought everything that was recommended to him. It had begun as a way of paying lip service to his godfather Severus's advice (order) to find out more about the non-magical world, but to his surprise he found himself enjoying the books and going back for more in the weeks that followed.

'I ordered a book for Granger,' Theo gave a wicked grin, which immediately made Draco suspicious.

'What book? What have you done, Theo?'

'Remember how you oh so delicately asked our little mouse if she had ever touched herself? Well given her negative response I thought she could use a little instruction, and you know how she loves to learn from books,' he smirked and handed it to his friend.

' _The Modern Witch's Guide to Pleasure_? She'll be mortified, mate,' Draco warned.

'Agreed, but I think she'll be curious enough to at least look at it, and hopefully try some of the solo techniques. Of course I'll be sure to tell her that if she needs any assistance I'll be on hand to help her out, so to speak,' Theo said suggestively. Draco narrowed his eyes at the other man.

Luckily Blaise chose that moment to come through the portrait hole. Sensing the atmosphere he approached his friends cautiously. 'What's up?'

'This,' Draco held the book aloft for Blaise to see. 'Theo thought it would be appropriate reading material for Granger,' he ground out. Blaise read the title, the blurb on the back and finally looked down the contents page.

'This is going to overwhelm her,' he commented. He turned to the chapter on self-pleasuring and marked the page before returning the volume to Theo. 'Tell her to start with that chapter,' he advised. Then he sat in the chair next to Draco and took a moment to choose his words.

'Look, I get that you're unhappy with Theo because you think he's making a move on her. Well guess what, so am I. I've just had breakfast with her in the library,' Blaise raised his hand to forestall protests from his fellow snakes. 'I've got an idea, it's somewhat unusual but I'm just throwing it out there. What if we were to share?'


	10. Chapter 10

_Recap of Chapter Nine_

' _This is going to overwhelm her,' he commented. He turned to the chapter on self-pleasuring and marked the page before returning the volume to Theo. 'Tell her to start with that chapter,' he advised. Then he sat in the chair next to Draco and took a moment to choose his words._

' _Look, I get that you're unhappy with Theo because you think he's making a move on her. Well guess what, so am I. I've just had breakfast with her in the library,' Blaise raised his hand to forestall protests from his fellow snakes. 'I've got an idea, it's somewhat unusual but I'm just throwing it out there. What if we were to share?'_

 **A/N:** So today marks both a sad and a happy event, I've come to the point where there are too many reviewers for the last chapter to keep doing individual shout-outs for everyone, crumbs! So instead here are some special mentions: coyg81 (I'm totally fangirling all over you and on my knees to beg you to please put ' _This_ _Life'_ on ff, please, please, please! For some reason AO3 doesn't like my phone); GeekMom13; Lena2244 (you have given me giggles at the incongruous mental image of Snape leading a rendition of Kumbuya in the Great Hall….); bL00D pRINC3SS; pgoodrichboggs; and Dutchess of the Depraved.

I laughed at how many of you used the phrase 'sharing is caring', wow, I have such dirty – I mean warm and loving – readers ;-) You guys should check out coyg81's story, _'Draco's Surprise_ ', it's scrumptious.

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

'What the fuck? What the actual fuck, Zabini?' Malfoy yelled. 'She's not a bottle of firewhisky to be passed around,' he glared at his friend.

'Don't you think I bloody know that?' Blaise asked quietly, keeping his calm. He had expected a volatile response from Draco, he needed time to process the idea before he would react reasonably. He turned to look at Theo to read his expression.

'I won't say it hasn't crossed my mind,' Theo returned his gaze steadily. 'We've never cared enough about a girl before to argue over her, so we're in uncharted territory here. This would be a way to keep our friendship intact and keep _her_. That's assuming that she even wants us. We would need to tread carefully,' he mused.

'You're not wrong there. I made a suggestive remark this morning and she virtually ran for the library, that's why I went along with breakfast, to apologise and try to put her at ease with me again,' Blaise said ruefully.

'She's scared of sex, of close relationships and intimacy in general I think. Plus she's recovering from the war, it's going to take a long time,' Draco interjected, his face sombre. 'She still has the scars from Bella you know, it was a cursed knife,' he sighed as another wave of self-loathing rolled over him. Why hadn't he done something to stop her?

'Draco,' Blaise touched his arm, 'you couldn't have prevented that. Your aunt was one crazy bitch. If you'd tried to step in she would have tortured you or worse, then gone right back to torturing Hermione. You know that's true,' and he gave Draco's arm a sympathetic squeeze. 'Why don't we speak to Snape about it? It's possible that there's a potion out there which could help the scars,' he suggested. Draco and Theo both nodded in agreement.

'While we're at it I wouldn't mind asking my godfather why he set this whole thing up,' Draco gestured his hand to encompass the living space. 'With Severus there's always an ulterior motive, not that I'm complaining about it,' he smirked. His face changed as something occurred to him. 'I'm not shagging either of you, I have no leanings in that direction whatsoever,' Draco said vehemently.

'I wasn't suggesting it,' Blaise laughed at his friend's discomfort and grinned at Theo.

'I think we're all agreed that we're straight and don't harbour any secret crushes on each other,' Theo said firmly, his eyes still full of amusement at Draco's outburst. He thought for a moment. 'Look, I think you're both right about the book, though it pains me to say it. I'll keep it back for now. How about we spend the next few days just being with her, spending time with her after classes? I've already asked her about study sessions for Arithmancy, and seeing as we're all being forced to take Muggle Studies this year she might agree to tutor us. It should be easy enough to persuade her that it's quieter to work in here than in the library. That way we get private time with her _and_ brownie points for wanting to put in extra effort to learn about muggle culture,' he reasoned like a true Slytherin.

'Easier than you think,' Blaise chimed in. 'I got her to admit that she's been avoiding the Great Hall because she's uneasy being in large groups of people, so even though she adores the library she'll avoid it at busy times,' he explained. 'By the way we're taking her down to lunch at 1pm. She doesn't want people grilling her about the war so I said she could sit with us at the Slytherin table if she wants,' Blaise finished.

'Oh yeah, and just what did our princess say to that little suggestion?' Queried Draco, eyebrows raised.

'She was more receptive than I thought, she found the idea of everyone else being scandalised rather funny. I think she'll do it,' Blaise returned.

'Excellent,' said Theo. 'That's even more time with her if we include mealtimes. We need to strike a balance between convincing her how blooming wonderful we all are and how she can't live without us, and giving her time alone so that she doesn't feel smothered,' he cautioned.

'I want to make another suggestion to our game plan,' Blaise announced. 'Remember what she told us about her dad reading to her? I think we should take it in turns to tuck her in at night and read her a bedtime story,' he proposed.

'Genius,' beamed Theo. 'She's craving affection and I'm guessing you guys want to fulfil that need as much as I do.' The other men nodded in response.

'I'll see if I can order those books she mentioned last night. What were they about again Blaise, some kind of bear?' Draco asked him.

'Poddington I think. No, wait…. Paddington, that was it. Paddington Bear. She'll love that,' Blaise smiled at the thought of reading to Hermione while she wore those adorable tartan pyjamas. Of course it would be a bit of an effort to rein in his carnal urges and restrict himself to a chaste goodnight kiss, but the endgame was worth going slowly for.

'Theo, you've been in her room, did you happen to notice if she had any of her childhood books in the bookcase? We could read her books from our own childhoods but they're bound to be different from muggle ones, they may not have the same comforting effect,' Draco queried.

Theo shook his head, 'sorry mate, I didn't get a chance to look at her books. If she had left them at home then they would have been vanished along with all of her other things when she wiped her parents' memories. Bloody heartbreaking,' he added quietly.

A minute later the silence was broken by Hermione's return. 'Hello,' she smiled, clutching a pile of books to her chest. Theo swiftly stuffed _The Modern Witch's Guide to Pleasure_ down the side of the armchair before returning her greeting.

'Just in time for lunch. May I escort you to the Great Hall, princess?' Draco placed her books on the table and took her hand to lead her downstairs to eat. Hermione held his hand tightly and took a steadying breath, she could do this, even if the butterflies in her tummy disagreed.


	11. Chapter 11

_Recap of Chapter 10_

 _A minute later the silence was broken by Hermione's return. 'Hello,' she smiled, clutching a pile of books to her chest. Theo swiftly stuffed The Modern Witch's Guide to Pleasure down the side of the armchair before returning her greeting._

' _Just in time for lunch. May I escort you to the Great Hall, princess?' Draco placed her books on the table and took her hand to lead her downstairs to eat. Hermione held his hand tightly and took a steadying breath, she could do this, even if the butterflies in her tummy disagreed._

 **A/N:** okay so I missed doing the shout-outs last chapter, it made me sad so I'm starting them up again, hurrah! Shout-outs to repeat reviewers Dutchess of the Depraved, Snowflake Dazzle, Virginie Cires, Lena2244, SlythKris, Nichole87, pgoodrichboggs, GeekMom13, , riaroo400, Green Eyed Lana Lee, BritishTonyDinozzo, coyg81, Meuba and ZoeyOlivia.

Special shout-outs to new reviewers Marissani, MahallieMacKenzie and my anonymous guest.

Today's story / author recommendation is _This Curse to Bear_ by frostykitten. It's a Draco-Veela fic and you know how much I love those (I'm planning one in the near future, having been given an amazing prompt by GeekybyNature!)

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

A minute later Hermione stopped suddenly, causing Theo to bump into her. He held her tightly to his chest, only to keep her from stumbling he told himself. Blaise found himself in a similar position with Draco and laughed loudly as his friend jumped away as if he'd been burned.

'What's wrong little mouse?' Theo breathed into her ear, causing her to tremble a little, luckily she couldn't see his resulting smug expression.

'The article in _The Prophet_ , everyone will be talking about it,' cried Hermione. 'How can I show my face when everyone thinks I'm a rubbish girlfriend and that I'm… I'm… a total prude?' Tears started to well in her eyes and Draco squeezed her hand tightly.

'Anyone who thinks that is an idiot, but I promise you that it's Ron who comes across badly in that report, not you. People will see him for the dickhead that he is,' he said firmly. 'Now classes begin tomorrow and you're going to have to see the rest of the school then, might as well start now. We're with you, we won't leave your side,' Draco said kindly but firmly.

A few people looked up as the Slytherins entered the Great Hall, then the whispers began as they realised who was with them. The snakes flanked Hermione and steered her to their house table. Draco seated her at the end, startling her by chivalrously pulling her seat out. She honestly couldn't remember the last time someone had done that. He sat on her left with Theo beside him and Blaise took the place on her right. Theo served her a bowl of potato and leek soup from the tureen in front of them and Blaise buttered some bread before passing it to her, 'eat,' he urged gently. It felt alien to be taken care of like this and the butterflies in her tummy fluttered like crazy.

Hermione's face was pink and she could feel people staring at her but she chose to concentrate on her soup and the conversation gradually returned to normal. When she dared to look over to the Gryffindor table Ginny gave her a cheery wave and a bright smile; Hermione strongly suspected that yesterday's shopping trip had melted her animosity towards the Silver Trio and she grinned back.

The other occupants of the Slytherin table presented a mixture of glares, wary glances and looks of interest. The little group ignored them and the men kept the conversation flowing on light topics. Draco glanced up at the High Table just as Snape turned to speak to McGonagall, giving the distinct impression that he had been watching them just moments before.

'Did you hear that Snape's going to be taking the advanced NEWT class this year in addition to his headmaster duties? Word is he doesn't trust Slughorn with it,' remarked Draco.

'Oh really? That's news to me,' Hermione responded. 'I hope he might be a bit nicer now that he's not under the strain of being a spy,' she added optimistically. Theo scoffed and Blaise snorted, 'I doubt it, _cara_. I expect he'll be the same miserable bastard as before.' Hermione attempted to shoot him a disapproving look but the twitch at the corners of her mouth ruined it.

Ten minutes later Luna wandered over to them and sat beside Blaise. 'Hello Blaise, Draco, Theo,' she said airily. 'I see you've been making new friends Hermione, I like them,' she said in that honest way of hers that tended to make people feel awkward. The men looked surprised for a second before recovering and greeting her courteously. They knew Loony Lovegood was a friend of their girl and by unspoken agreement they were going to make an effort to be nice to her.

'Hi Luna, it's good to see you again,' Hermione smiled. 'I'm glad you approve of my new friends, they've been very kind to me, _so far_ ,' she added the last words in a stage whisper and threw in a wink for good measure. The Slytherins tutted in mock protest but were secretly pleased that she felt comfortable enough to tease them like that.

'I think they'll treat you like a queen, or a princess,' Luna replied in a dreamy voice, glancing at Draco before saying goodbye and drifting out of the hall. He felt rather disconcerted, how did she do that, act like she was on another planet yet be perceptive as hell? Blaise swiftly changed the subject and the awkward moment passed.

* * *

Later that afternoon Hermione decided to make a head start on her reading for Potions, she was stressing out a bit because of essentially missing a year of schooling. While her skills in Transfiguration, Ancient Runes, Charms and DADA had been used on copious occasions, she was bound to be rusty on Potions and Arithmancy. She curled her legs up beneath her in the armchair when something poked her thigh, looking down she pulled a book out that had been wedged down the side. Her eyes widened as she read the title, _The Modern Witch's Guide to Pleasure_. Bloody hell, was one of the boys brushing up on his technique in preparation for a year filled with shagging? And if so, which one?!

She started guiltily as Draco sauntered over with a book, obviously intending to join her in an afternoon of reading. 'Um, is this yours?' Hermione asked, cheeks blazing.

'Absolutely not, princess. I don't need any assistance in that area,' he drawled. 'Theo,' Draco called, 'you might want to come and explain your recent purchase to Granger.' With a wolfish grin he sat back and rested an ankle over the opposite knee, he was going to enjoy this.

Theo came down from his room and realised straightaway what had happened. 'Don't be put off little mouse, I got it for you. There's a chapter on solo pleasure that I thought might be helpful,' he spoke softly, trying to ease her embarrassment.

'I knew I should never have played that stupid game,' she groaned.

'It wasn't my intention to make you feel awkward, Hermione. It just seems an awful shame to get to 18 and never have experienced an orgasm. They're pretty damn good you know,' Theo gave her a mischievous wink.

'Um, right, er, thank you, I suppose,' she stuttered. 'I'll put it in my room,' and with that she fled.

'Well that went better than expected,' Theo rubbed the back of his neck.

'I owe Blaise 50 galleons,' Draco grumbled. 'I was convinced she'd hex you.'

'I'm lucky she didn't,' Theo said wryly.

Once in her room Hermione began to flick through the book. Her face was still flushed with mortification but she couldn't deny her interest in the contents. She noticed the marked page, turned to that section and began to read the chapter on masturbation.


	12. Chapter 12

_Recap of Chapter 11_

' _Well that went better than expected,' Theo rubbed the back of his neck._

' _I owe Blaise 50 galleons,' Draco grumbled. 'I was convinced she'd hex you.'_

' _I'm lucky she didn't,' Theo said wryly._

 _Once in her room Hermione began to flick through the book. Her face was still flushed with mortification but she couldn't deny her interest in the contents. She noticed the marked page, turned to that section and began to read the chapter on masturbation._

 **A/N:** okay so I missed doing the shout-outs last chapter, it made me sad so I'm starting them up again, hurrah! Shout-outs to repeat reviewers pgoodrichboggs, Rissa1986, BadWolfJiggy, xchloee, LullabyTales, Snowflake Dazzle, Virginie Cires, Lena2244, kimbclar, Nichole87, Marissani, GeekMom13, riaroo400, Green Eyed Lana Lee, coyg81 and Meuba.

Special shout-outs to new reviewers Sarzie, MotekElm and my anonymous guest.

Today's story / author recommendation is _Not to Me_ by naaran. If you like Werewolf Draco stories then you'll love this.

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

That evening when they returned from dinner Hermione announced her intention of having a bath and an early night. The Slytherins looked at each other and with great difficulty they managed to restrain themselves from making any remarks on what she might be planning on getting up to with her new book. Draco in particular had to bite the inside of his cheek for a full minute until Blaise nudged him and tilted his head slightly in the direction of Hermione's room, giving him a pointed look.

'I'll be up in an hour to read you a story and tuck you into bed, Princess,' Draco said casually, as if it was a nightly ritual. She gaped at him and her cheeks went scarlet.

'What? Why would you…? I'm not a little girl…I…' Hermione stuttered, unable to articulate the mixture of dismay and embarrassment at this suggestion. A tiny part of her felt thrilled, but she didn't have time to examine that just now. They each moved close to her: Blaise stood behind her and wrapped his strong arms around her; Theo took her hand in his and held it firmly; and Draco held her face between his large hands.

'There's a part of you that's still a little girl, Hermione. A part of you that _needs_ to be a little girl. You've had to grow up far too fast, fight battles that no young woman should have to, and lose too many people before their time. You've laboured so hard to prove yourself in the magical world, always being top of the class, spending all your time studying or saving Potter's arse, and in doing so you've repressed part of yourself. Who looks after _you_ , Princess? Who takes control for a little while so that you can let go? Who cherishes you?' Draco's voice was unrelenting but gentle and his thumbs brushed away the tears silently falling from her eyes. 'We will,' he said simply.

'We want to cherish you, _dolcezza_ , and we intend to, with or without your permission,' Blaise murmured in her ear.

Theo nodded and brought her hand to his lips, turning it over to kiss her palm before placing it over his heart. 'We're going to look after you little mouse,' he promised. The moment was spellbinding and magic hung heavy in the air, adding weight to their words. Hermione felt overwhelmed and couldn't speak but she closed her eyes in silent acquiescence. Her hand pressed against Theo's chest, she leaned back into Blaise and tilted her head into Draco's palm.

* * *

Later that evening Hermione emerged from the bathroom in a waft of orange blossom scented steam to find Draco lounging on her bed flicking through _The Modern Witch's Guide to Pleasure_. She couldn't hold in the giggle that escaped. 'Looking for tips? I thought you didn't need any assistance in that area?' She said teasingly.

His eyes slowly looked her up and down and he smiled, 'I already told you that I don't, do you want me to prove it to you?' He was rewarded with rosy cheeks and a mumbled rebuff. Draco wanted to tell her in great detail just how much pleasure he could bring her but was mindful of Blaise's experience that morning. He laughed and pulled the covers back, 'in you get then.' Hermione climbed in and lay on her side facing him, having missed him turn down a corner before replacing the book on her bedside table. He tucked the covers in around her, sat down on the bed and reached for the other book lying there. 'Is this what you'd like?' He read the cover, it was a tattered copy of _Rebecca_ by Daphne du Maurier.

'Yes please, it's an old favourite. You might like it actually, even though it's a muggle book,' Hermione said shyly.

'You'd be surprised, Princess. I've developed quite the appetite for muggle literature over the summer. I'm reading _1984_ at the moment, and I've also read _The Thirty-nine Steps_ , _The Great Gatsby_ , _Howard's End_ , _Oranges are not the Only Fruit_ , _The Handmaid's Tale, Never Let Me Go_ and _Lady Chatterley's Lover_ ,' he winked as he said the last title.

'Wow, I'm impressed. What brought that on?' She asked.

'Severus suggested I find out a bit more about the muggle world and I visited Flourish & Blotts. I wasn't expecting them to have anything, I thought I could simply report back to him that I'd tried and he would leave it at that. But it turns out that they have a muggle section right at the back and one of the assistants, Cuthbert, is a bit of an expert. I bought everything he recommended and I've enjoyed most of them,' Draco explained.

'No need to sound so surprised,' Hermione returned.

He rolled his eyes, refusing to be drawn into a debate and began to read to her, '"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again."' When he had finished the first chapter Hermione looked drowsy so he made sure the covers were snug around her, stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. 'Goodnight Princess,' he whispered.

'Night night Draco,' she said and closed her eyes. He turned the light off and left the room, feeling an odd tightness in his chest. Theo and Blaise looked up from their game of wizard chess as he went downstairs.

'How did it go?' Theo quizzed him.

'Well, really well in fact. She liked it,' he replied.

'Why do I sense a but coming?' Asked Blaise.

Draco swallowed. He wasn't sure how to put it into words. 'Hermione wasn't the only one who liked it. I enjoyed reading to her, it felt…I don't know, natural….affectionate even,' he couldn't quite bring himself to use the word loving. Draco rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke, feeling uncomfortable talking about his emotions. He was a Malfoy, he wasn't supposed to do affection, dammit!

His fellow Slytherins smirked knowingly. 'I'm looking forward to my turn tomorrow,' admitted Theo.

'You might want to catch up on Chapter One before you read her the second one, it looks like it's going to be a good story, lots of suspense,' Draco advised.

'Speaking of turns,' Blaise commented, 'if she decides to accept a relationship with us, how are we going to work out the logistics?'

Draco snorted. 'Have you seen Granger at exam time? Not only will she put us on a schedule, but it will be colour coordinated and timetabled to the nth degree!' There was silence for a moment before they all erupted with mirth.


	13. Chapter 13

_Recap of Chapter 12_

' _Speaking of turns,' Blaise commented, 'if she decides to accept a relationship with us, how are we going to work out the logistics?'_

 _Draco snorted. 'Have you seen Granger at exam time? Not only will she put us on a schedule, but it will be colour coordinated and timetabled to the nth degree!' There was silence for a moment before they all erupted with mirth._

 **A/N:** Shout-outs to repeat reviewers pgoodrichboggs, GeekybyNature, Dutchess of the Depraved, SlythKris, Snowflake Dazzle, Virginie Cires, kimbclar, GeekMom13, riaroo400, Green Eyed Lana Lee, coyg81 (so do I, you have no idea how much!) and Meuba (me too!).

Special shout-outs to new reviewer xXMizz Alec VolturiXx.

I need to do a correction for the recommendation I gave in the last chapter, the author's name is naarna and not naaran as I mistakenly put, apologies!

Today's story / author recommendation is _Beautiful Disaster_ by ForeverAlwaysTogether, it's a Hermione gets pregnant story and I really enjoyed it.

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

 _Monday 4_ _th_ _September 1998_

The first day of classes went well for Hermione, remarkably well in fact. She had expected a few remarks about _The Daily Prophet_ article and Ron's hurtful comments but no one mentioned it; she couldn't help but wonder if perhaps Ginny and the Silver Trio had something to do with that.

After lessons Theo asked Hermione if they could go over the Arithmancy homework that had been set. While they were busy Draco disappeared on an errand of his own and went in search of Clara Bentley, a seventh year Ravenclaw. He smirked when he found her in the first place he looked – the library.

'Hello Clara, I'm Draco Malfoy, we have DADA together,' he began, aiming for a friendly tone.

'I know who you are. Hello Malfoy,' the girl looked wary, almost scared. This wouldn't do at all, he thought.

'I was wondering if I could have a word, it's about a project I'm doing in Muggle Studies and, well, I could use some insight to be honest,' Draco attempted to look bashful in the hope that she would open up a bit. It seemed to work because she nodded her head.

'Yes, okay. We could sit over there so we don't disturb the others,' Clara gestured at the other occupants of her table. Draco smiled and let her lead the way.

Once settled and with parchment and quill at the ready he got straight to the point. 'The project is to compare muggle childhoods with those in the magical world. What can you tell me about things that muggle children, especially girls, might do?' Without further prompting Clara launched into a detailed description of things that she had enjoyed as a little girl and Draco wrote down everything that he thought might be helpful, interrupting occasionally with questions.

'So a Care Bear is a stuffed toy, right? Much like a magical child would have a stuffed dragon or niffler?' He wanted to make sure that he understood the concept before his next question.

'That's right,' Clara beamed at him, pleased at the interest he was taking. He seemed so different from how she remembered him previously, there was no sneering for one thing. 'They come in different colours and have different pictures on the front. So for example Love-A-Lot bear is pink and has hearts on her tummy, while Grumpy bear is blue and has a raincloud on his,' she explained. Draco pretended to understand though in truth he was a little lost.

'And if I wanted to get hold of one of these bears, how would I go about that? I'm hoping to get an Outstanding so I want to pull out all the stops,' he added hastily, trying to justify his odd request. _Please don't say a muggle shop, please don't say a muggle shop!_

Clara thought for a moment, 'well, normally you'd have to go to a muggle toy shop, but seeing as that's not possible during term-time I suppose I could ask my parents to owl me a catalogue. You could write down your order and give me the money for it then they could buy the teddy and send it here. It seems a bit convoluted but I'm guessing you don't know anyone who would make the trip for you?' Draco sighed internally with relief at this solution.

'Not really, no. I'd be really grateful Clara if you and your parents could help me out. When you say 'teddy' do you mean one of these bears?' Draco had heard of teddies but thought they were lingerie, he was confused again.

'Oh, yes sorry, I forgot that you wouldn't know about soft bear toys being called teddy bears,' she said apologetically.

'I can fetch some money from just now if you like. Will 100 galleons cover it do you think?'

'Goodness me no, that's far too much! Once you've decided what you want to order I'll convert the total from pounds Sterling into wizarding money and let you know. I'll owl my parents later to ask them to pick up a Hamleys catalogue, it may take a few days,' she warned him.

'Yes of course, that's fine. Thanks so much for your help, I really appreciate it,' Draco gave her a genuine smile and made his way back to the common room, humming a Weird Sisters tune as he went. Clara sat for a few moments, wondering who that person had been and what he had done with Draco Malfoy.

* * *

At around 9 o'clock that evening Theo went over to the large study table and put his hand on Hermione's shoulder to get her attention. 'That's enough work for tonight little mouse, time for bath and bed. I'll be up in a bit to read your story,' he ordered. Her face showed the range of emotions that flew through her mind – confusion, followed by indignation, then contentment and he was sure he saw a flash of arousal in her eyes.

'But I haven't finished reading through my notes from History of Magic yet,' she protested, but they both knew it was half-hearted.

'Hermione, you can't study until all hours, you need to have a sensible bedtime to get enough sleep. Now put your things away and go upstairs for your bath,' Theo said firmly. She got the feeling that he didn't want to repeat himself again.

'I'll run your bath while you pack up your books, _dolcezza_ ,' said Blaise. Hermione's mouth gaped open for a moment but then she found herself doing what she was told. It was an odd sensation and made her feel a bit miffed yet pleased at the same time.

An hour later Hermione was curled up in bed in clean pyjamas and the subtle scent of bluebell bath oil upon her skin. Theo came in and smiled in approval, 'good girl.' He watched in satisfaction as her pupils dilated, her breath hitched and finally her lips moved into a tentative smile. 'Now move over a little,' he commanded before lying down beside her. He made sure to lie on top of the covers so as not to unsettle her, promising himself that it was worth it to go slowly and build up their intimacy gradually. Draco had been right, she had a lot of healing to do.

'Come here and snuggle in,' he said gently and Hermione did just that. She felt safe and warm next to Theo and closed her eyes to listen to the second chapter of _Rebecca_. Ten minutes later Theo finished reading and concluded 'hmmm, that Mrs Van Hopper was a bit of an old cow, wasn't she?'

Hermione grimaced, 'just a bit. You can see why the heroine's so eager to be rescued by Maxim.'

Theo looked at her thoughtfully, 'yes, I can.' He eased himself out of bed carefully, trying not to disturb her. Then he leant over and stroked her face, moved in to kiss her forehead and softly said 'goodnight little one.'

'Night night Theo,' Hermione gave him a sleepy smile and closed her eyes.

Theo descended into the common room and met Draco's expectant gaze. 'I see what you meant last night, she loved it. And so did I,' he turned to stare at the fire. Blaise felt a little jealous that he hadn't had a turn of reading to her yet, but pacified himself with the thought that it wasn't long to wait until tomorrow night. Draco returned to his book and looked vacantly at the page, he felt distinctly unsettled by Theo's pronouncement.


	14. Chapter 14

_Recap of Chapter 13_

' _Come here and snuggle in,' he said gently and Hermione did just that. She felt safe and warm next to Theo and closed her eyes to listen to the second chapter of Rebecca. Ten minutes later Theo finished reading and concluded 'hmmm, that Mrs Van Hopper was a bit of an old cow, wasn't she?'_

 _Hermione grimaced, 'just a bit. You can see why the heroine's so eager to be rescued by Maxim.'_

 _Theo looked at her thoughtfully, 'yes, I can.' He eased himself out of bed carefully, trying not to disturb her. Then he leant over and stroked her face, moved in to kiss her forehead and softly said 'goodnight little one.'_

' _Night night Theo,' Hermione gave him a sleepy smile and closed her eyes._

 _Theo descended into the common room and met Draco's expectant gaze. 'I see what you meant last night, she loved it. And so did I,' he turned to stare at the fire. Blaise felt a little jealous that he hadn't had a turn of reading to her yet, but pacified himself with the thought that it wasn't long to wait until tomorrow night. Draco returned to his book and looked vacantly at the page, he felt distinctly unsettled by Theo's pronouncement._

 **A/N:** Shout-outs to repeat reviewers Nichole87, Green Eyed Lana Lee, Meuba, Lena2244, mangoandpassionfruit, kimbclar, Snowflake Dazzle, xchloee, coyg81, riaroo400, xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, MotekElm, GeekMom13 and Virginie Cires.

Special shout-outs to new reviewers thelittleredgirl and AngelLover88.

I love that you all seem to know what I'm talking about with Care Bears (if you don't, then Google is your friend). They're popular again now but I remember them from the first time around, oops, showing my age there!

Today's story / author recommendation is _Prodigal Witch_ by MissFantastic, it's a Hermione with multiple Slytherins story, hurrah!

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

The first week of classes had flown by for Hermione and she was feeling exhausted from the reading, homework, studying sessions with Theo and Muggle Studies tutoring sessions with all three snakes. She headed straight up to her bathroom after the last lesson on Friday and began to run a relaxing bath. She was going to get into comfy clothes and skip dinner she decided; she couldn't be bothered with getting properly dressed again and going down to the Great Hall. If she got hungry she could always call Winky for food, the thought made her feel a little guilty but she knew the little house elf would be happy to help. She had finally forgiven Hermione for her lectures on house elf rights and was down to one bottle of butterbeer a day, a distinct improvement on her previous consumption.

After a moment's hesitation she opened the door on the other side of the bathroom that led to Draco's room and called out ' _accio_ firewhisky,' a moment later a half-full bottle came zooming into her hand. Taking the glass from beside her sink she poured a generous measure then turned the bath taps on and lit tens of candles with a wave of her wand. Hermione wasn't in the mood for bluebells or orange blossom so she rummaged through the other bath oils that Draco and Blaise had chosen for her until she found one with spices; the scent of nutmeg and cinnamon was warming and just what she needed after a long week. She sank into the water and reached for her chosen reading material, _The Modern Witch's Guide to Pleasure._

She started to flick to the later chapters, which she hadn't read yet, when she spotted a second page corner turned down. She had already been through the chapter on self-pleasure that Blaise had marked so turned to the new page with interest. It was part of a chapter called _'How kinky are you?'_ and the heading was _'Daddy Doms'._ Hermione's stomach did an immediate somersault and her mouth went dry as she read.

" _There is a big difference between Daddy as a title for a Dominant in a D/s relationship and Daddy as a title for a father. While many have some reservations about this title, it is nothing more than that: a title. Daddies are not interested in pedophilia, incest or any other paraphernalia associated with children even though their title is often misunderstood and associated with that. When a little calls her Daddy by title, the feeling associated is nothing like the feeling she would get when she calls her father the same title."*_

She eagerly read the next few paragraphs and actually cried out when she came upon a section on 'Daddy's Little Girl'.

" _Another significant indication of a Daddy Dom is that they will spoil the heck out of their li'l_ [little one] _. While this should be the expectation of everyone in a relationship, this is usually taken over-board by Daddy-Doms. Daddies will know exactly what their li'ls love, and will provide surprises and presents on a pretty regular basis. (Just like fathers do with their children). Often times these rewards are things that kids love, Teddy Bears, Pajamas, Pretty Candy, and Toys."**_

Draco headed up to his room to change out of his uniform. Blaise and Theo had gone to blow off some steam at the Quidditch pitch and he guessed Hermione had headed to the library. He pulled on some flannel pyjama bottoms and was reaching for a top when he heard a startled cry from the bathroom. Grabbing his wand he unlocked the door and ran in, worried about Hermione.

'Oh!' She squeaked when Draco burst in, dropping the book in surprise. Seeing that she appeared to be alright he calmed his breathing and walked over to the large bath. The oily sheen on her skin glimmered in the candlelight and he noticed the damp curls that had escaped her haphazard bun clinging to her neck, she had never looked so enchanting. Draco plunged his hand into the bath – earning another squeal from Hermione, who quickly drew her knees up to her chest – and pulled out the sodden book. After muttering a quick drying charm he read the title and settled himself down on the floor beside the bath, eyeing his bottle of alcohol before taking a large swig from the glass.

'Well princess, you did give me fair warning that I would need to keep you in firewhisky this year,' he chuckled.

'I didn't go rooting in your room, I used a summoning spell,' she said hastily. 'Not that that excuses my blatant theft. I'm sorry,' Hermione blushed. She put her chin on her knees and turned to face him. 'Are you going to leave now? I'm not used to having company when I'm in the bath. Naked,' she added pointedly.

'I wouldn't have come in if you hadn't screamed like you were being attacked! And if you're attempting to appeal to my gentlemanly nature then I suggest you cease your efforts, I'm not leaving you alone when you look so delicious and have clearly just read something interesting enough to make you shout out "oh my goddess!" at the top of your voice.' Draco took another swig then topped up the glass and handed it back to her. 'So which bit were you reading, princess?'

By now Hermione's whole face was radiating heat. She took a hasty gulp of firewhisky and wondered how she could avoid answering. What she had just read had reached into her very centre and flicked a switch in her brain. The longings that she had to be cared for and cherished, the childish things that she enjoyed, like bedtime stories, they made sense to her now. She had always been embarrassed by what she perceived as a weakness, but now it transpired that she wasn't some kind of freak, or okay maybe she was, but she wasn't the _only freak_ who needed this kind of relationship. There was no way she was sharing this with Draco however.

He flicked through the pages until he found the section he had earmarked days ago, could it have been this that caused her reaction? And was it positive or negative, her shout had been loud and surprised but otherwise gave nothing away. _Fuck it. Just ask her._ 'Did you find the section I marked for you, princess, on daddy doms?'

Her eyes widened. 'No way! What? That was you? What, why?' The words came out all garbled and Draco silenced her floundering with a look. He removed the glass and set it aside then began to soap his hands. Hermione eyed him warily, 'what are you doing?'

'Giving you a bath. Washing is what one normally does as part of the process, no? Alongside reading sex manuals and drinking,' Draco smirked.

'But, but, you can't. I'm not wearing any clothes!' Hermione exclaimed.

'Precisely. I'm glad to see you've got the hang of how this bathing thing works,' and with that he began to touch her skin, gently massaging and soaping her neck, back and arms. Hermione bit back the first few moans then gave up on trying to contain the little mewls of pleasure. _He feels so damn good, I wish he'd do this every night._ She told herself not to be so ridiculously needy but her mental argument halted when he gently pushed her knees back down and started washing her breasts. It was impossible not to arch further into his touch and she closed her eyes, not wanting to see his expression. She didn't think she could take it if he was mocking her.

'I'm still waiting for an answer, Hermione,' he said warningly. She heard her name but couldn't recall what he had asked her.

'Sorry, what was the question?' She whispered, trying to concentrate as he tweaked her nipples.

'Did you read the section on Daddies and their little girls, princess? Is that what made you shout?' He stifled the chuckle that threatened to escape, seeing the effect he had on her was immensely satisfying, even if it was making him painfully hard.

'Yes… and…. yes…Please don't stop touching me there,' Hermione moaned. She was past the point of caring about embarrassing herself now, he could mock her all he wanted if he just kept doing that with his fingers. Draco began to cup water in his hands and pour it over her, washing the soap off. She turned to look at him in distress, 'you stopped,' she pouted.

 _Sweet fucking Circe, but she's adorable._ 'Do these needy nipples require more attention?' Immediately she looked uncomfortable and made to cover herself with her hands but he held her wrists back. 'What, you don't like that word, little one?' Draco watched her closely, trying to read her eyes, which had dilated as soon as he called her little one. He ran his eyes over her body and considered. 'You're right, that's not the best word for you, they look like pretty little pink rosebuds,' he murmured. Hermione couldn't stop a small smile from forming and he released her wrists to caress her again.

His hand moved lower and gently slipped between her lips with the barest of touches, 'and this, my little one, this is your special rosebud,' he whispered as he watched her cheeks flush hotter and mouth open slightly. 'I think you need a Daddy, princess. Someone who will give your rosebuds special touches and kisses, someone who will cherish and protect you,' his voice grew lower as he fought to stay in control. He wanted to take this so much further but reined himself in with difficulty and withdrew his hands. Right now she was a quivering wreck and he knew he could push things but he wanted her to crave him, to beg him for more when she was completely sober. Draco didn't think she was drunk, but he didn't want her to do anything that she might regret and later blame it on the alcohol.

'A Daddy who gives me baths and reads me bedtime stories?' She asked breathlessly. He smiled and kissed her on the forehead.

'Yes, a Daddy just like that. Now let's get you nice and dry, I've got a present for you in my room,' Draco smiled at her tiny yelp of delight and held up a large fluffy bath sheet before lifting her out and softly towelling her dry. He could easily have used a drying charm but he wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to touch her. At the back of her mind Hermione wondered why she wasn't feeling embarrassed about all of this – the book, being seen naked and washed and dried by Draco Malfoy – but oddly she wasn't. She was in a different headspace, one where she felt happy and safe; she was being looked after and she could finally relax her control. It felt good.

Draco took her hand and led her through to his room. There he opened his wardrobe and pulled out a white dress shirt. He proceeded to slip it on her and do up each button slowly, then carefully rolled the sleeves up for her. 'Run and fetch some pretty knickers to wear while I get your present,' he instructed, revelling in the way she skipped off to do as she was told. Reaching onto the top shelf of the wardrobe he rummaged for a moment before finding the right parcel and lifting it down just as Hermione returned.

'Show me what you picked, princess,' he instructed. She gave him a shy smile and raised the shirt hem to reveal lacy Brazilian briefs in milky coffee colour. 'Beautiful,' he breathed in her ear as he stroked her mound of Venus and squeezed her behind. Hermione couldn't stop herself leaning into him and resting her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her 'you've been such a good girl, eating all your meals and behaving at bedtime, you definitely deserve a present,' he praised her. He reluctantly pulled back and handed her a flat parcel wrapped in shiny pink paper.

Draco laughed as she tore the paper off in seconds, not bothering to neatly peel off the Spellotape. Hermione gasped in delight as she uncovered a muggle colouring book of fairies and mermaids along with a large pack of coloured felt tip pens. Dropping them on the bed she launched herself at Draco, wrapping her limbs around him and smothering him with thank you kisses on his cheeks and neck.

'You like it then?' Draco chuckled.

'I love it! How did you even know about colouring in? Where did you find the book and pens?' Hermione asked in amazement.

'Daddies have their ways,' he replied, holding her gaze. He would never reveal the complicated process of inventing a Muggle Studies project to use as a ruse to get help from a muggle-born Ravenclaw. He had ended up ordering hundreds of galleons worth of items from the Hamleys toy shop catalogue and insisted on paying Clara Bentley and her parents several hundred more to show his appreciation for their assistance. Hermione searched his eyes, trying to find any sign of insincerity. She wanted this so badly, if he was messing her around she'd be really hurt…

'Are you a Daddy? Are you my Daddy?' She asked in a small, uncertain voice.

'I very much want to be your Daddy, if you'll have me princess,' Draco replied honestly. He was scared to put himself out there, what if she rejected him? _What if she didn't?_ He hadn't known this was something he wanted, hadn't known it even existed, until a few days ago. But now he knew in his soul that he wanted Hermione for his princess, he wanted to give her the world if she would give herself to him in return.

 **A/N:** FF won't allow web addresses so you'll have to be creative and add in dotcoms and take the spaces out; the quotes on Daddy Doms are taken from the following: *domsgentlemans . weebly daddy-dom

**adultlittlegirl what-is-a-daddy-dom/


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Shout-outs to repeat reviewers pgoodrichboggs, BadWolfJiggy, MahallieMacKenzie (I wish that too), GeekybyNature (gods yes, if Draco was my daddy I'd be ecstatic), Nichole87 (exactly, I love mine), Green Eyed Lana Lee, Meuba, kimbclar (me too!), Snowflake Dazzle, coyg81, riaroo400, , xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, GeekMom13 (loved your review, thank you so, so much) and Virginie Cires.

Special shout-outs to new reviewers uchiha miyo, miss quirky bookworm, Vsten, maraudersanarchy and my anonymous guest (thanks for your suggestion to put the A/N before the recap, it makes more sense. I just wish you'd taken the caps lock off first, it felt like you were shouting at me, eep!)

Today's story / author recommendation is _The Fulfillment of a Dream_ by littlegirlbibi, it was recommended to me by Meuba and is the only Daddy Draco / little girl Hermione that I've been able to find. Sadly it's abandoned but the six chapters written are enjoyable. If anyone has recs for similar stories I'd love to hear them! I'm also curious about my lovely readers, apparently there are over 36k of you and I'm wondering how many (if any) are men? Who do you ship and who is your OTP? Let me know in a review or a PM, satisfy my curiosity (alright, nosiness!) xx

 _Recap of Chapter 14_

' _Daddies have their ways,' he replied, holding her gaze. He would never reveal the complicated process of inventing a Muggle Studies project to use as a ruse to get help from a muggle-born Ravenclaw. He had ended up ordering hundreds of galleons worth of items from the Hamleys toy shop catalogue and insisted on paying Clara Bentley and her parents several hundred more to show his appreciation for their assistance. Hermione searched his eyes, trying to find any sign of insincerity. She wanted this so badly, if he was messing her around she'd be really hurt…_

' _Are you a Daddy? Are you my Daddy?' She asked in a small, uncertain voice._

' _I very much want to be your Daddy, if you'll have me princess,' Draco replied honestly. He was scared to put himself out there, what if she rejected him?_ What if she didn't? _He hadn't known this was something he wanted, hadn't known it even existed, until a few days ago. But now he knew in his soul that he wanted Hermione for his princess, he wanted to give her the world if she would give herself to him in return._

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

Draco could sense her insecurity and uncertainty, pushing her for a decision would be counter-productive at this point. 'Think about it over the weekend, you don't have to make your mind up right now,' he said gently, giving her another squeeze before sitting her down on his bed next to her new things. 'Why don't you pick a picture to colour in? I'll be back in two minutes,' he promised, dropping a kiss on top of her head before escaping to the bathroom to deal with his raging hard-on.

Breathing deeply he wrapped his hand around his member and began to stroke himself vigorously, this wasn't a time to draw it out and maximise his pleasure, he just wanted a quick release and to get back to Hermione. He had no idea if she'd noticed his erection or not and he desperately wanted to feel her small hands – or better yet, her mouth – on him, but he was astute enough to know that baby steps were required. She was damaged emotionally and he was determined to fix her, no matter how long it took, and shoving a cock in her face right now would only send her scampering away. He came embarrassingly quickly, the intensity of the last half-hour with his little girl having kept him at simmering point. Draco cleaned himself up and waited for the bulge in his pyjama bottoms to decrease a bit before returning to her.

Hermione looked up and smiled at his approach. She was feeling so happy inside and it shone through in her eyes, he couldn't help but grin back at her. 'Would you like to do your colouring in at the coffee table in front of the fire?' He suggested. 'I can call one of the elves and ask them to bring food up, you need to eat, princess,' Draco urged. Hermione started to nod then faltered.

'What about Theo and Blaise, will they laugh at me for being childish?'

Draco felt a tightening in his chest, she looked vulnerable and small, clutching her colouring book and pack of felt tips to her chest. 'No princess, they won't. They'll be interested, you can show them the pictures and explain how those funny quill substitutes work,' he stroked her cheek and watched the smile light up her face again. He knew dangling the carrot of explaining how something muggle worked would catch her interest. He took her hand and led her downstairs, prepared to glare at his friends if they so much as _thought_ about making fun of her.

Hermione was happily settled in front of Draco at the fireside with her colouring in when the other two returned from the Quidditch pitch, hair damp from the shower and feeling pleasantly tired after their exercise. Theo acknowledged Draco's warning look with a slight nod and went to drop a kiss on top of her head. 'That looks interesting little mouse, what are you doing?'

'Colouring in pictures, it's something I used to do when I was younger. Draco gave me the book and pens as a present for being a good girl this week,' her voice was shy and Theo found it endearing.

'You have indeed been a very good girl and your picture looks lovely. Tell me how the pens work, they look a bit like self-inking quills?' He wrapped his arm around Hermione and listened patiently to her explanation. Blaise gave Draco a sideways glance that read 'you _will_ tell us about this later' and went to sit beside the other two on the floor, making sure to praise her for both her behaviour and her neat picture. It was obvious to both men that something had happened and Hermione was in her 'little girl' mindset that they normally only saw at bedtime, they found it both arousing and intriguing.

'Draco's shirts look good on you, _dolcezza_ ,' Blaise commented, stroking her curls behind her ear. His gaze dropped lower and darkened as he saw her nipples pressing against the fabric. Theo followed his line of sight and gave a small groan.

'I think Blaise and Theo would like to see your pretty rosebuds, princess,' Draco breathed in her ear. He moved from his position on the sofa to sitting on the floor behind her, pulling her flush against his chest. He ghosted his palms over her breasts, hardening as he felt the nipples stiffen. Hermione arched into his touch and laid her head back against his chest. Blaise carefully levitated the coffee table out of the way to give them some room and Theo began to stroke her smooth legs, murmuring how beautiful she was. Putting his wand aside Blaise knelt up in front of her and began to slowly unbutton her shirt, drinking her in with his eyes. Merlin she was exquisite!

Hermione twisted her head round to look at Draco, unsure how to feel about the other men touching her. He saw the anxiety in her eyes and sought to reassure her, 'it's alright little one, I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere. Are you okay, do you want them to stop?' In all honesty Draco wasn't sure how he felt about this either. On the one hand, he knew that his friends wanted her and they had of course talked about forming some kind of polyamorous relationship…. But on the other hand he wanted to be her Daddy to the exclusion of anyone else. Dammit! He decided to concentrate on the moment and examine his thoughts later.

If Da- Draco was here then she would be fine, Hermione thought to herself. And Theo and Blaise looked after her too, she felt safe with them. She let her thoughts go and relaxed back into her little girl headspace, smiling softly at the affectionate murmurings of the three men.

Blaise finished unbuttoning the shirt and inhaled sharply. He watched as Draco teased each nipple while kissing her neck, stopping just long enough to say, 'look how pretty these pink rosebuds are, they love attention.' Picking up their cues and noting the language used, Blaise and Theo took one nipple each and Draco moved his hands down to caress her hips. Blaise was entranced by the sight of his hazelnut skin stroking her creamy breast and the way she responded so eagerly to his touch. When Theo first lowered his mouth and suckled on her, Draco had to hold her down as she almost arched right off the floor.

Hermione was experiencing a sensory overload. She could feel hands, lips and tongues everywhere and was vaguely aware of something hard at the small of her back but it was crowded out by her physical responses. She was aware of hearing little whimpers and mewls for some time before realising they were coming from herself.

'You're being such a good little girl,' Theo purred in her ear, pinching her nipple firmly. By this point Hermione was incapable of responding, everything inside felt tense and tight, like she needed to burst but didn't know how to make it happen.

Blaise stroked her inner thighs, 'open your legs for us baby girl,' he said huskily, his other hand never leaving her breast.

Draco snaked his hand down from her hip to slip inside her knickers, whispering 'I think your special rosebud is feeling neglected, princess.' He slid a finger down her slit and frowned, she was more than wet enough, but he wasn't able to insert a finger so moved back up to her clit quickly, not wanting to hurt her. The others caught his expression and nodded briefly when he mouthed _not now_ at them. 'Such a special little rosebud,' he cooed in her ear, circling her clit slowly and gently, using only the lightest touch. She was utterly taut, wound so tight that she was ready to snap any moment but he felt her holding back. Climaxing was the ultimate surrender and Hermione Granger needed to learn it. 'Let go little one, come for me,' he whispered in her ear.

Seconds later she came hard, over and over again. 'Daddy!' she screamed, and Draco came right there, growling out the words 'well done princess, well done Daddy's baby girl.' Blaise was sorely tempted to take his cock out and start stroking himself, he was incredibly turned on and needed a quick release. He caught Theo's eye and they both unbuttoned their jeans, pushing them down along with their underwear. Hermione was oblivious to this, she was too busy coping with the explosions racking her insides. Behind her eyes were flashes of colours and then white lights; she was floating in starlight, the only thing anchoring her to her body was Draco's soft voice in her ear, murmuring praise and endearments.

Draco looked on in bemusement as his friends sought their own release, this wasn't a scene he ever expected to see but strangely he didn't feel disturbed by it. If anything, he was glad that they weren't forcing anything on Hermione, he knew she wasn't ready for that yet and he didn't want them to scare her away. His arms wrapped around her as he waited for her to come back to him and he surreptitiously lifted his wand to do a non-verbal cleansing and drying spell on his pyjama bottoms. A few minutes later the Slytherins moved to aim their release onto Hermione's full and soft breasts, causing her eyelids to flutter open.

'Such a good girl, little mouse,' Theo began to rub his seed into her skin. 'No washing until tomorrow,' he ordered, leaning down to kiss her forehead. 'Yes Theo,' she smiled sleepily at him and turned to watch Blaise as she felt him repeat his friend's actions. 'I'm proud of you for being so good, _dolcezza,_ ' he murmured and kissed her lightly on the lips. 'I'm going to run down to the kitchens and get us some food, coming Theo?'

Draco gently cradled Hermione to him and carried her upstairs to her bed. Placing her down gently he peeled off her soaking pants and rummaged for a fresh pair, selecting pink satin ones. Hermione seemed to come to at that point and was struck by mortification. She covered her face with her hands and started to cry. Draco was horror-struck and immediately berated himself for pushing her too hard, too soon. 'Talk to me princess, tell me what's wrong and how I can make it better,' he urged, clasping her to him.

'I'm so embarrassed,' she sobbed into his chest, 'I didn't realise my pants were wet, I must have… must have…,' she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. How could she have done a wee in front of them? If this was what was going to happen each time then she never wanted to orgasm again, even if it had been utterly mind-shattering. Draco realised what had upset her and carefully chose his words, 'squirter' was to be avoided at all costs.

'Shhhh angel, it's okay. You didn't wet yourself, I promise,' he soothed. Hermione lifted her head up to look at him and the sight of her tearful, trusting eyes brought out all of his protective instincts. Keeping one arm firmly wrapped around her he used his free hand to brush away her tears. 'There are a few girls that flow with nectar when they come, it's not common, which just proves to me yet again how special you are, princess,' he explained. When she was back in her 'normal' headspace he could talk her through female ejaculation and no doubt his bookworm would research it all she could, but right now she was delicate and vulnerable after her first sexual experience. He peppered her face with kisses and lifted her onto his knee. He wanted to enjoy a few minutes alone with his little girl before the others came back.


	16. Chapter 16

Hi my lovelies,

I've come to a crossroads in the story and see three possible options on where to take it. I'm leaning towards one option in particular but I'd like to take your views into account so please do vote in the poll on my Bio page.

WinterWillows xx


	17. Chapter 17

Super quick update to say that I'll be continuing this story as a Dramione and the poly version is now up under the name Their Leonine Princess. For more news follow my Facebook page, WinterWillows. I'll be updating all my stories soon, pinkie promise xx


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